- A
Hot access tier
Why wrong: The Hot tier is intended for data accessed frequently and has the highest storage cost among standard tiers. It does not meet the goal of lowest storage cost for rarely accessed data.
- B
Cool access tier
Why wrong: The Cool tier is for data that is infrequently accessed (about once per month or less) and has lower storage cost than Hot, but higher than Archive. It offers immediate retrieval, which is not necessary here, and would still be more expensive than Archive for this use case.
- C
Archive access tier
The Archive tier is the lowest-cost storage tier, designed for data that is rarely accessed and can tolerate retrieval latencies of up to 15 hours. This matches the company's requirement for low cost and acceptable retrieval time, making it the correct choice.
- D
Premium access tier
Why wrong: The Premium tier is for high-performance workloads requiring low-latency access and high transaction rates. It is significantly more expensive than all other tiers and is not suitable for rarely accessed compliance documents.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is the Archive access tier. This tier is the cheapest storage option in Azure Blob Storage, specifically designed for rarely accessed data where retrieval latency of up to 15 hours is acceptable, making it ideal for compliance documents with only 2-3 requests per year. On the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of access tier trade-offs: Cool offers lower cost than Hot but faster retrieval, while Archive sacrifices speed for the lowest storage cost. A common trap is choosing Cool because it sounds "cold," but remember that Archive is for data you can wait hours to retrieve. Memory tip: think "Archive = Attic"—you store old tax forms there and only dig them out for an audit, accepting the wait for the lowest cost.
AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure architecture and services. 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.
A company uses Azure Blob Storage to store compliance documents that are required to be kept for 10 years. The documents are very rarely accessed; on average, only 2-3 requests per year are made, usually for audits. The company needs the lowest possible storage cost. When a document is requested, the company can tolerate a retrieval time of up to 15 hours. Which Azure Blob Storage access tier should the company use?
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
Archive access tier
The Archive access tier is designed for data that is rarely accessed and has a flexible retrieval time, offering the lowest storage cost among Azure Blob Storage tiers. With only 2-3 requests per year and a tolerance for up to 15-hour retrieval latency, the Archive tier (which typically takes up to 15 hours to rehydrate) perfectly matches the requirements while minimizing storage expenses.
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.
- ✗
Hot access tier
Why it's wrong here
The Hot tier is intended for data accessed frequently and has the highest storage cost among standard tiers. It does not meet the goal of lowest storage cost for rarely accessed data.
- ✗
Cool access tier
Why it's wrong here
The Cool tier is for data that is infrequently accessed (about once per month or less) and has lower storage cost than Hot, but higher than Archive. It offers immediate retrieval, which is not necessary here, and would still be more expensive than Archive for this use case.
- ✓
Archive access tier
Why this is correct
The Archive tier is the lowest-cost storage tier, designed for data that is rarely accessed and can tolerate retrieval latencies of up to 15 hours. This matches the company's requirement for low cost and acceptable retrieval time, making it the correct choice.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Premium access tier
Why it's wrong here
The Premium tier is for high-performance workloads requiring low-latency access and high transaction rates. It is significantly more expensive than all other tiers and is not suitable for rarely accessed compliance documents.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'lowest storage cost' with 'lowest overall cost' and overlook the retrieval latency and rehydration costs of the Archive tier, or mistakenly choose Cool tier thinking it balances cost and access speed without recognizing that Archive is significantly cheaper for such rare access patterns.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Archive tier stores data offline and requires a rehydration process (changing the blob's tier to Hot or Cool) before it can be read, which can take up to 15 hours depending on the priority setting. This rehydration incurs additional read and data transfer costs, but for extremely rare access patterns, the storage savings far outweigh these occasional costs. A real-world scenario is a financial institution storing audit records for regulatory compliance, where data must be retained for years but is only accessed during annual audits.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Describe Azure architecture and services — This question tests Describe Azure architecture and services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Archive access tier — The Archive access tier is designed for data that is rarely accessed and has a flexible retrieval time, offering the lowest storage cost among Azure Blob Storage tiers. With only 2-3 requests per year and a tolerance for up to 15-hour retrieval latency, the Archive tier (which typically takes up to 15 hours to rehydrate) perfectly matches the requirements while minimizing storage expenses.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-900 exam.
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