This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe considerations for working with non-relational data on azure. 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 terabytes of historical log data in Azure Blob Storage. The data is rarely accessed but must be retained for 10 years for compliance. The company wants to minimize storage costs. Which storage tier should you use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Cool tier
Why wrong: Cool tier is cheaper than Hot but not the cheapest for archival.
Archive tier
Archive tier is the lowest cost for long-term retention.
Hot tier
Why wrong: Hot tier is expensive for rarely accessed data.
Premium tier
Why wrong: Premium tier is for high-performance scenarios.
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 is designed for data that is rarely accessed and has a flexible retrieval latency (hours), making it ideal for long-term retention of historical logs. It offers the lowest storage cost among Azure Blob Storage tiers, which directly minimizes costs for data that must be kept for 10 years but is seldom read.
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.
Cool tier
Why it's wrong here
Cool tier is cheaper than Hot but not the cheapest for archival.
Archive tier
Why this is correct
Archive tier is the lowest cost for long-term retention.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Hot tier
Why it's wrong here
Hot tier is expensive for rarely accessed data.
Premium tier
Why it's wrong here
Premium tier is for high-performance scenarios.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the Archive tier's low storage cost with immediate accessibility, forgetting that retrieval latency and rehydration costs apply, but the question explicitly states 'rarely accessed' and 'minimize storage costs,' making Archive the clear choice.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Premium tier is for high-performance scenarios.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the Archive tier stores data offline with a blob rehydration process that can take up to 15 hours (standard priority) or 1 hour (high priority) before the data is readable. This tier has a minimum storage duration of 180 days, and early deletion incurs a pro-rated charge, which aligns with the 10-year retention requirement. In a real-world scenario, a company might use lifecycle management policies to automatically transition blobs from Hot to Cool to Archive over time, 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
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FAQ
Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure — This question tests Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
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 (hours), making it ideal for long-term retention of historical logs. It offers the lowest storage cost among Azure Blob Storage tiers, which directly minimizes costs for data that must be kept for 10 years but is seldom read.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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