AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design data storage solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Refer to the exhibit. You are deploying an ARM template with the above parameters. After deployment, you need to ensure that the storage account automatically moves blobs that are not accessed for 30 days to the archive tier. What should you do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a lifecycle management policy rule to the storage account.
Option D is correct because Azure Storage lifecycle management policies allow you to automatically move blobs to cooler tiers (like Archive) based on age or last access time. By adding a rule with a filter for blobs not accessed in 30 days and an action to tier to Archive, you meet the requirement without manual intervention or changing the default access tier.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Enable soft delete for blobs.
Why it's wrong here
Soft delete is for data protection, not tier management.
✗
Change the 'accessTier' parameter value to 'Archive'.
Why it's wrong here
This sets the default tier for new blobs, not automatic transition.
✗
Change the 'replication' parameter value to 'GRS'.
Why it's wrong here
Replication does not affect tier transitions.
✓
Add a lifecycle management policy rule to the storage account.
Why this is correct
Lifecycle management can automatically move blobs to archive tier after 30 days.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse setting the default access tier (via 'accessTier' parameter) with automating tier transitions based on age, leading them to choose Option B instead of recognizing that lifecycle management policies are required for time-based auto-tiering.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Lifecycle management policies in Azure Storage use XML-based rules with filters (e.g., blob prefix, blob index tags) and actions (e.g., tierToCool, tierToArchive, delete). The 'daysAfterLastAccessTimeGreaterThan' property tracks blob access via the 'LastAccessTime' property, which must be enabled via the 'lastAccessTimeTrackingPolicy' on the storage account. This is distinct from 'daysAfterModificationGreaterThan', which tracks last write time, a common source of confusion.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Design data storage solutions — This question tests Design data storage solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a lifecycle management policy rule to the storage account. — Option D is correct because Azure Storage lifecycle management policies allow you to automatically move blobs to cooler tiers (like Archive) based on age or last access time. By adding a rule with a filter for blobs not accessed in 30 days and an action to tier to Archive, you meet the requirement without manual intervention or changing the default access tier.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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