Design data storage solutions →hardMultiple Choice

AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question

Exhibit

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "parameters": {
    "storageName": {
      "type": "string",
      "defaultValue": "[uniqueString(resourceGroup().id)]"
    },
    "location": {
      "type": "string",
      "defaultValue": "[resourceGroup().location]"
    }
  },
  "resources": [
    {
      "type": "Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts",
      "apiVersion": "2023-01-01",
      "name": "[parameters('storageName')]",
      "location": "[parameters('location')]",
      "kind": "StorageV2",
      "sku": {
        "name": "Standard_LRS"
      },
      "properties": {
        "supportsHttpsTrafficOnly": true
      }
    }
  ]
}

Refer to the exhibit. Your team deploys this ARM template to a resource group in West US. After deployment, you need to ensure the storage account is geo-redundant. What is the most efficient way to modify the template to achieve this?

⚠ Common exam trap

Candidates often think adding a new resource or changing the API version is necessary, but the most efficient way is to modify the existing resource's 'sku.name' property, which directly controls replication redundancy.

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

Change the 'sku.name' property from 'Standard_LRS' to 'Standard_GRS'.

Changing the 'sku.name' property from 'Standard_LRS' to 'Standard_GRS' directly modifies the replication type of the existing storage account to geo-redundant storage (GRS). This is the most efficient approach as it updates the single resource in-place without adding extra resources or altering the storage account's kind or API version.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
Add a second storage account resource with Geo-redundant replication.
Why it's wrong here
Adding a second storage account with Standard_GRS does not make the original account geo-redundant; GRS is a per-account replication configuration. The two accounts would be independent and not automatically synchronized, so data written to the existing account would not replicate to the new one. This approach adds cost and complexity without changing the SKU of the resource that must meet the requirement.
✗
Change the 'kind' property to 'BlobStorage'.
Why it's wrong here
The `kind` property identifies the storage account type (for example StorageV2, BlobStorage, or FileStorage) and controls which data services and management features are available. It has no bearing on how the platform copies data across regions. Changing it to `BlobStorage` would not alter the replication setting, and could restrict the account to blob-only workloads if the template includes queues or tables.
✗
Change the 'apiVersion' to a newer version.
Why it's wrong here
The `apiVersion` in an ARM template selects the schema version of the Azure Resource Manager resource provider used for deployment. It does not map to any runtime property on the storage account, and newer API versions do not change the default or effective SKU. Replication is driven entirely by the value in `sku.name`, so updating `apiVersion` alone leaves the account on locally redundant storage.
✓
Change the 'sku.name' property from 'Standard_LRS' to 'Standard_GRS'.
Why this is correct
Set `sku.name` to `Standard_GRS` because this SKU explicitly configures geo-redundant storage (GRS) for the account. With GRS, data is synchronously replicated three times within the primary region and asynchronously replicated three times in the paired secondary region, providing higher durability than LRS. In the ARM template, `sku.name` is the authoritative property for the replication strategy, and `Standard_GRS` meets the geo-redundancy requirement.

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AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

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