hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped

A company needs to store and analyze petabytes of semi-structured data from IoT devices. The data is append-only and written in time order. They need to support fast queries on time ranges and also aggregate data in real-time. Which Azure data service should they use?

Question 1hardmultiple choice
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A company needs to store and analyze petabytes of semi-structured data from IoT devices. The data is append-only and written in time order. They need to support fast queries on time ranges and also aggregate data in real-time. Which Azure data service should they use?

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 Explorer

ADX (Kusto) is built for real-time analysis on large volumes of streaming data. It supports efficient time-series queries, ingestion from IoT sources, and real-time aggregations.

B

Distractor review

Azure Cosmos DB

Cosmos DB is a document and NoSQL database optimized for low-latency transactional workloads, not for petabyte-scale append-only time-series analytics.

C

Distractor review

Azure SQL Database

Azure SQL Database is a relational database that struggles with the scale and append-only nature of massive IoT data and lacks native time-series optimization.

D

Distractor review

Azure Table Storage

Table Storage is a key-value store for structured data but cannot efficiently handle petabytes of time-series data with real-time aggregation requirements.

Common exam trap

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Technical deep dive

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
  • Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

  • Underline the problem statement mentally.
  • 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.

Related practice questions

Related AZ-305 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

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.

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this AZ-305 question test?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Azure Data Explorer — Azure Data Explorer (ADX) is optimized for interactive analytics on large volumes of streaming and time-series data. It handles petabytes of semi-structured data, provides fast time-range queries, and supports real-time aggregation with low latency. Cosmos DB is document-oriented and not designed for petabyte-scale append-only time-series with complex aggregations. SQL Database and Table Storage lack the scale and query performance for this workload.

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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