- A
Locally-redundant storage (LRS)
Why wrong: LRS replicates data three times within a single datacenter in the primary region. It does not protect against a regional outage, so it does not meet the requirement.
- B
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
Why wrong: ZRS replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within the primary region. While it provides resilience within the region, it does not protect against a complete region outage.
- C
Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Why wrong: GRS replicates data to a paired secondary region for regional disaster recovery, but read access to the secondary region is not enabled by default. To read data from the secondary region during an outage, a manual failover must be initiated, which does not satisfy the requirement for automatic read access.
- D
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
RA-GRS replicates data to a paired secondary region and provides read-only access to the secondary endpoint at all times. During a primary region outage, data can still be read from the secondary region without any manual action, meeting the compliance requirement.
Quick Answer
The answer is Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS). This redundancy option is correct because it combines geo-redundant storage, which asynchronously replicates your data to a secondary region hundreds of miles away, with the critical feature of automatic read access to that secondary replica during a primary region outage—no manual failover or configuration change is required. On the AZ-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of Azure Storage redundancy options, specifically the distinction between standard GRS (which requires a manual failover for read access) and RA-GRS (which provides automatic read access). A common trap is confusing GRS with RA-GRS; remember that the “RA” prefix stands for “read access,” which is the key differentiator. For a memory tip, think of it as “RA-GRS: Ready Access during a Geo-Region Shutdown.”
AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure architecture and services. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 stores critical customer data in Azure Blob Storage. The compliance team requires that the data remains available for read operations even if the primary Azure region experiences a complete outage. They plan to use an Azure storage redundancy option that automatically replicates data to a secondary region and allows read access from that secondary region during an outage, without requiring any manual failover action. Which storage redundancy option should they configure on the storage account?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
RA-GRS (Read-access geo-redundant storage) is correct because it replicates data to a secondary region (geo-redundancy) and, crucially, enables read access to that secondary replica during a primary region outage without requiring any manual failover. This meets the compliance requirement for automatic read availability during a complete primary region failure.
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.
- ✗
Locally-redundant storage (LRS)
Why it's wrong here
LRS replicates data three times within a single datacenter in the primary region. It does not protect against a regional outage, so it does not meet the requirement.
- ✗
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
Why it's wrong here
ZRS replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within the primary region. While it provides resilience within the region, it does not protect against a complete region outage.
- ✗
Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Why it's wrong here
GRS replicates data to a paired secondary region for regional disaster recovery, but read access to the secondary region is not enabled by default. To read data from the secondary region during an outage, a manual failover must be initiated, which does not satisfy the requirement for automatic read access.
- ✓
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Why this is correct
RA-GRS replicates data to a paired secondary region and provides read-only access to the secondary endpoint at all times. During a primary region outage, data can still be read from the secondary region without any manual action, meeting the compliance requirement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
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 GRS with RA-GRS, assuming that geo-redundancy alone provides automatic read access from the secondary region, but GRS requires a manual failover to enable reads, whereas RA-GRS explicitly enables read access without any manual action.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
RA-GRS uses asynchronous geo-replication to copy data to a paired secondary region, typically hundreds of miles away. The secondary endpoint (e.g., `yourstorageaccount-secondary.blob.core.windows.net`) is enabled for read access at all times, not just during failover. This is achieved by setting the storage account's 'Allow read access to secondary data' property to true, which exposes the secondary region's data via a separate endpoint, allowing continuous read availability even if the primary region is completely offline.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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: Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) — RA-GRS (Read-access geo-redundant storage) is correct because it replicates data to a secondary region (geo-redundancy) and, crucially, enables read access to that secondary replica during a primary region outage without requiring any manual failover. This meets the compliance requirement for automatic read availability during a complete primary region failure.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on AZ-900
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company stores critical financial data in Azure Blob Storage. The data must remain available even if an entire Azure region becomes unavailable. Additionally, the company needs the ability to read the data from the secondary region immediately during a regional outage, without waiting for Microsoft to initiate a failover. Which storage redundancy option should the company configure?
medium- A.Locally Redundant Storage (LRS)
- B.Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS)
- ✓ C.Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS)
- D.Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS)
Why C: Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) is the correct choice because it replicates data to a secondary region (geo-redundancy) and allows immediate read access to that secondary copy during a regional outage, without waiting for Microsoft to initiate a failover. This meets both the availability requirement and the need for instant read access from the secondary region.
Variation 2. A company stores sensitive customer transaction records in Azure Blob Storage. The records must be available for read access at all times, even if the primary Azure region becomes unavailable. The company initially configured geo-redundant storage (GRS). During a disaster recovery test, the operations team discovers that although data is replicated to a secondary region, they cannot read the data from the secondary region until a Microsoft-initiated failover occurs. The team needs a solution that provides immediate, continuous read access to the replicated data in the secondary region without waiting for a failover. Which Azure Storage replication option should the company use?
medium- A.Locally-redundant storage (LRS)
- B.Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
- C.Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
- ✓ D.Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Why D: RA-GRS extends GRS by enabling read access to the data in the secondary region at all times, without requiring a Microsoft-initiated failover. This ensures that the customer transaction records remain continuously readable from the secondary region, meeting the requirement for immediate read access during a primary region outage.
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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