Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
DP-900 Practice Question: Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure
A company stores massive amounts of unstructured log data as text files in Azure Blob Storage. The logs are written once and accessed only a few times per month for compliance audits. When accessed, the data must be available within 15 minutes. The company's priority is minimizing storage costs. Which Azure Blob Storage access tier should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose Archive for cost minimization without considering the rehydration latency requirement, mistakenly assuming all infrequently accessed data qualifies for Archive regardless of retrieval time constraints.
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
✓
Cool
The Cool access tier is optimal because the logs are accessed infrequently (a few times per month) but require retrieval within 15 minutes. Cool tier offers lower storage costs than Hot while still supporting near-instant access, making it the best balance for minimizing storage costs with occasional compliance audits.
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
Why it's wrong here
Hot tier is intended for data that is accessed or modified frequently, and it carries the highest storage cost among the standard access tiers (Hot, Cool, Cold, Archive) because you pay for that ready-for-any-time access. The log data in this question is infrequently accessed, so keeping it in Hot would incur avoidable monthly storage charges and fail to truly minimize cost compared to Cool, even though retrieval would be instant.
When this WOULD be correct
Use Hot tier when data is accessed frequently (e.g., multiple times per day) and low latency is critical, such as for a real-time analytics pipeline processing streaming log data.
- ✓
Cool
Why this is correct
Azure Cool tier is designed for data that is infrequently accessed and will be stored for at least 30 days, offering a lower per-gigabyte storage price than Hot while still providing millisecond read latency. Since the log data is massive but rarely read, Cool minimizes storage cost without introducing the multi-hour rehydration delay of Archive, thus satisfying both the cost minimization and the 15-minute availability requirements.
- ✗
Archive
Why it's wrong here
Archive tier has the lowest storage cost, but the trade-off is that data is stored offline and must be rehydrated to a readable tier before access, which can take from 15 minutes up to several hours depending on the rehydration priority. Since the company requires data to be available within 15 minutes, Archive's standard rehydration times are typically far too slow, and even high-priority rehydration carries extra cost that erodes savings.
When this WOULD be correct
A company stores historical backup data that is rarely accessed and can tolerate retrieval times of up to 15 hours, with the primary goal of minimizing storage costs.
- ✗
Premium
Why it's wrong here
Premium performance tier in Azure Storage uses solid-state drives and is optimized for high transaction rates and consistently low latency, making it suitable for production databases or interactive workloads. Its storage cost per GB is significantly higher than all standard access tiers, so using it for large volumes of unstructured logs would conflict with the goal of minimizing cost while still meeting the availability requirement.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The DP-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓CoolCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Azure Cool tier is designed for data that is infrequently accessed and will be stored for at least 30 days, offering a lower per-gigabyte storage price than Hot while still providing millisecond read latency. Since the log data is massive but rarely read, Cool minimizes storage cost without introducing the multi-hour rehydration delay of Archive, thus satisfying both the cost minimization and the 15-minute availability requirements.
✗HotWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Hot tier has the highest storage cost, which contradicts the company's priority of minimizing storage costs for infrequently accessed data.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Use Hot tier when data is accessed frequently (e.g., multiple times per day) and low latency is critical, such as for a real-time analytics pipeline processing streaming log data.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may assume 'hot' is always best for logs, overlooking that the logs are rarely accessed and cost minimization is key.
✗ArchiveWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Archive tier has a retrieval time of up to 15 hours, which exceeds the 15-minute availability requirement for compliance audits.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company stores historical backup data that is rarely accessed and can tolerate retrieval times of up to 15 hours, with the primary goal of minimizing storage costs.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may assume that because the logs are accessed only a few times per month, Archive's low storage cost is ideal, overlooking the critical 15-minute retrieval constraint.
Analysis generated from the official DP-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Quick reference
Azure Blob Storage Tier Comparison
| Tier | Storage Cost | Retrieval Cost | Latency | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | Highest | Lowest | Immediate | Active data, frequent reads |
| Cool | Lower | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / month |
| Cold | Lower still | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / quarter |
| Archive | Lowest | Highest + rehydration delay | Hours | Long-term compliance retention |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Data Roles and Core Concepts
Key term
Blob storage
Blob storage is a cloud service for storing large amounts of unstructured data, such as text or binary data, like documents, images, and videos.
Key term
Data
Data is raw, unprocessed information, like numbers, words, or measurements, that can be stored, processed, and analyzed by computers.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.