This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe core data concepts. 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 stores customer transaction data in Azure Blob Storage. The data is rarely accessed after 30 days, but must be retained for 7 years for compliance. Which access tier minimizes storage cost while meeting the retention requirement?
Hot tier
Why wrong: Hot tier is for frequently accessed data and has higher cost.
Cool tier
Why wrong: Cool tier is for infrequently accessed data but still more expensive than Archive.
Premium tier
Why wrong: Premium tier is for high-performance workloads and is the most expensive.
Archive tier
Archive tier is the lowest-cost option for data that is rarely accessed and requires long-term retention.
Answer choices
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 offers the lowest storage cost for data that is rarely accessed, which aligns with the scenario where data is accessed infrequently after 30 days but must be retained for 7 years. Azure Blob Storage's Archive tier is designed for long-term retention with a retrieval latency of several hours, making it cost-effective for compliance-driven data that does not require immediate access.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
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 frequently accessed data and has higher cost.
Cool tier
Why it's wrong here
Cool tier is for infrequently accessed data but still more expensive than Archive.
Premium tier
Why it's wrong here
Premium tier is for high-performance workloads and is the most expensive.
Archive tier
Why this is correct
Archive tier is the lowest-cost option for data that is rarely accessed and requires long-term retention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may choose the Cool tier thinking it balances cost and access, but they overlook that the Archive tier is significantly cheaper for data that is accessed less than once a year, which is typical for 7-year compliance retention.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the Archive tier stores data offline and requires a rehydration process (changing the tier to Hot or Cool) before reading, which can take up to 15 hours. This is acceptable for compliance scenarios where data is rarely accessed, but candidates must remember that the Archive tier has a minimum retention period of 180 days; early deletion incurs a pro-rated charge. In real-world scenarios, organizations often use lifecycle management policies to automatically transition blobs from Hot to Cool to Archive based on age, ensuring cost optimization without manual intervention.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Describe core data concepts — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Describe core data concepts practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All DP-900 questions
982 questions across all exam domains
Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP-900 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
DP-900 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise DP-900 questions linked to Describe core data concepts.
Practise DP-900 questions linked to Describe an analytics workload on Azure.
Practise DP-900 questions linked to Identify considerations for relational data on Azure.
Practise DP-900 questions linked to Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure.
Practise DP-900 questions linked to DP-900 fundamentals.
Practise DP-900 questions linked to DP-900 scenario.
Practise DP-900 questions linked to DP-900 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Describe core data concepts — This question tests Describe core data concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Archive tier — The Archive tier is the correct choice because it offers the lowest storage cost for data that is rarely accessed, which aligns with the scenario where data is accessed infrequently after 30 days but must be retained for 7 years. Azure Blob Storage's Archive tier is designed for long-term retention with a retrieval latency of several hours, making it cost-effective for compliance-driven data that does not require immediate access.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This DP-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 DP-900 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.