DP-203 Design and implement data storage Practice Question
You need to store historical sales data for 10 years with infrequent queries. The storage cost must be minimized while retaining the ability to query using Azure Synapse serverless SQL pool. Which storage tier should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'infrequent queries' with 'no queries' and incorrectly choose the Archive tier, forgetting that Azure Synapse serverless SQL pool cannot directly query archived data without a time-consuming rehydration process.
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
✓
Azure Storage Cool tier.
The Cool tier is the correct choice because it provides low-cost storage for data that is infrequently accessed (e.g., historical sales data spanning 10 years) while still supporting immediate read access via Azure Synapse serverless SQL pool. Unlike the Archive tier, Cool tier data is online and can be queried without the need for time-consuming rehydration, making it suitable for infrequent but on-demand analytical queries.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Azure Storage Archive tier.
Why it's wrong here
Archive tier cannot be queried directly by Synapse serverless SQL pool; data must first be rehydrated to Hot or Cool, adding latency and cost. Archive suits long-term backup retention never queried, whereas the requirement demands ongoing serverless query access, making Cool the fit.
- ✗
Azure Storage Premium tier.
Why it's wrong here
Premium tier raises storage cost rather than minimising it, contradicting the stated cost requirement, and is designed for low-latency, high-transaction workloads. It is tempting for performance-sensitive data, but infrequently queried historical sales data belongs in Cool, which Synapse serverless SQL can query directly.
- ✗
Azure Storage Hot tier.
Why it's wrong here
Hot tier carries the highest per-gigabyte storage cost, failing the cost-minimisation requirement for ten years of infrequently queried data. It is tempting because Hot supports immediate querying, but Cool also permits Synapse serverless SQL queries at a lower storage price for infrequent access.
- ✓
Azure Storage Cool tier.
Why this is correct
The cool tier offers lower storage cost than hot while remaining fully queryable by Synapse serverless SQL pool, unlike archive which requires rehydration. This satisfies the minimise-cost constraint alongside infrequent query access over ten years.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DP-203 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 DP-203 exam.