The Archive tier is the correct choice because it provides the lowest cost storage tier for infrequently accessed long-term retention, making it ideal for compliance logs that must be kept for a decade. This tier is specifically engineered for data that is rarely read, with retrieval times of up to 15 hours, which is acceptable for audit scenarios where immediate access is not required. On the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of Azure Blob Storage access tiers and their cost trade-offs, often appearing as a scenario where you must match the access pattern to the cheapest suitable tier. A common trap is selecting the Cool or Cold tiers, which are still more expensive than Archive and designed for data accessed every few months, not years. Remember the memory tip: “Archive is the cheapest, but you’ll wait—perfect for logs that sit and wait.”
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 needs to store log files from multiple applications. The logs are accessed infrequently for compliance audits but must be retained for 10 years. Storage cost must be minimized. Which Azure Storage access tier should they use for the blob storage?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Archive tier
The Archive tier is the correct choice because it is designed for data that is rarely accessed and has a flexible retrieval latency of up to 15 hours, making it ideal for compliance logs that are accessed infrequently but must be retained for 10 years. It offers the lowest storage cost among all Azure Blob Storage access tiers, which directly minimizes storage costs for long-term retention. The Hot, Cool, and Cold tiers are progressively more expensive and are optimized for more frequent access patterns, not for archival scenarios.
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 tier
Why it's wrong here
Hot tier is for data accessed frequently and has the highest storage cost.
✗
Cool tier
Why it's wrong here
Cool tier is for infrequently accessed data, but still more expensive than Archive.
✗
Cold tier
Why it's wrong here
Cold tier is for data accessed less frequently than Cool, but Archive is cheaper for long-term retention.
✓
Archive tier
Why this is correct
Archive tier has the lowest storage cost and is suitable for data that is rarely accessed and has high latency requirements.
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 the Cold tier (which is still for infrequent access but not archival) with the Archive tier, or they assume the Cool tier is sufficient for long-term retention without considering that the Archive tier is the only one designed to minimize storage cost for data that is accessed less than once a year.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Blob Storage access tiers are priced based on a trade-off between storage cost and access cost; the Archive tier has the lowest per-GB storage cost but the highest read and data retrieval costs, including a mandatory 180-day minimum retention period for blobs. Under the hood, data in the Archive tier is stored offline and requires a rehydration process (changing the tier to Hot, Cool, or Cold) before it can be read, with rehydration times ranging from 1 to 15 hours depending on the priority setting. In a real-world scenario, a company using Archive tier for compliance logs must plan for this retrieval latency, as auditors may need to wait hours to access logs, which is acceptable for non-urgent 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-900 question in full detail.
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 tier — The Archive tier is the correct choice because it is designed for data that is rarely accessed and has a flexible retrieval latency of up to 15 hours, making it ideal for compliance logs that are accessed infrequently but must be retained for 10 years. It offers the lowest storage cost among all Azure Blob Storage access tiers, which directly minimizes storage costs for long-term retention. The Hot, Cool, and Cold tiers are progressively more expensive and are optimized for more frequent access patterns, not for archival scenarios.
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.
About these practice questions
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Variation 1. A company needs to store archival data for 10 years with the lowest possible storage cost. Data may be accessed once a year for compliance audits. Which Azure Storage access tier should they choose?
medium
A.Cool
B.Hot
✓ C.Archive
D.Premium
Why C: The Archive access tier is designed for data that is rarely accessed and has a flexible latency requirement, making it the most cost-effective option for long-term archival storage. With a 10-year retention period and only annual access for compliance audits, Archive provides the lowest storage cost per gigabyte compared to Cool or Hot tiers, though it incurs higher retrieval costs and latency (typically hours to rehydrate data).
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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