Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company is building a petabyte-scale data lake for analytics. The workload includes Apache Spark and Hive jobs that read and write large files. The storage solution must support a hierarchical namespace for efficient directory operations, POSIX-like access control lists (ACLs) for fine-grained permissions, and must be accessible via the Azure Blob Storage API for compatibility with existing tools. Furthermore, the solution should be optimized for analytics workloads with high throughput. Which Azure data service should they choose?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
ADLS Gen2 combines a hierarchical namespace with POSIX ACLs and Blob API access. It is designed for large-scale analytics workloads and integrates with Spark and Hive.
B
Distractor review
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen1
ADLS Gen1 also supports a hierarchical namespace and POSIX ACLs but uses the WebHDFS API, not the Blob API. Gen1 is being phased out in favor of Gen2.
C
Distractor review
Azure Blob Storage
Standard Azure Blob Storage does not support a hierarchical namespace (unless the hierarchical namespace feature is enabled, which creates ADLS Gen2) and does not provide POSIX ACLs natively.
D
Distractor review
Azure Files
Azure Files is a managed file share for SMB or NFS protocols. It is not designed for petabyte-scale analytics and does not support the Blob API.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A company is designing hub-and-spoke networking. Spoke VNets must use a central Azure Firewall for outbound internet traffic. Which two configurations are required?
Question 2
A company is designing private access to a PaaS database from workloads in a VNet. The database should not be reachable over its public endpoint. What should be recommended?
Question 3
A data platform must support analytical queries over petabytes of files in a data lake, while preserving hierarchical namespaces and fine-grained ACLs. Which storage service should you design around?
Question 4
A database workload has an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of 4 hours. Cost is more important than near-zero data loss. Which design is usually more appropriate than synchronous multi-region replication?
Question 5
A hub-and-spoke Azure network must centralize outbound inspection and still allow spokes to resolve private endpoint DNS names. Which two components are commonly required? (Choose 2.)
Question 6
A multinational company uses Microsoft Entra ID and several Azure subscriptions. Security administrators need to review privileged role assignments every month and require justification for continued access. Which design should be recommended?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 — Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 provides a hierarchical namespace, POSIX ACLs, and is accessible via the Blob Storage API. It is built on Azure Blob Storage and is optimized for big data analytics with high throughput. Azure Data Lake Storage Gen1 also had these features but is being retired and uses a different API (WebHDFS). Azure Blob Storage does not support a hierarchical namespace by default (unless enabled) but lacks some POSIX ACL features. Azure Files is for file shares and not designed for petabyte-scale analytics.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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