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 wants to store JSON documents that need to be queried with high throughput and low latency globally. Which Azure data service is most appropriate?
Azure Table Storage
Why wrong: Table Storage is for key-value storage, not JSON documents, and has higher latency.
Azure Cosmos DB
Cosmos DB provides global distribution, low latency, and native JSON support.
Azure SQL Database
Why wrong: Azure SQL Database is relational and not optimized for JSON document storage with global distribution.
Azure Blob Storage
Why wrong: Blob Storage is for unstructured binary data, not queryable JSON.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Azure Cosmos DB
Azure Cosmos DB is the most appropriate service because it is a globally distributed, multi-model database that natively supports JSON documents and provides guaranteed single-digit-millisecond latency at the 99th percentile, along with high throughput via configurable request units (RUs). Its turnkey global distribution enables low-latency reads and writes across multiple Azure regions, making it ideal for globally queried JSON workloads.
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.
Azure Table Storage
Why it's wrong here
Table Storage is for key-value storage, not JSON documents, and has higher latency.
Azure Cosmos DB
Why this is correct
Cosmos DB provides global distribution, low latency, and native JSON support.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Azure SQL Database
Why it's wrong here
Azure SQL Database is relational and not optimized for JSON document storage with global distribution.
Azure Blob Storage
Why it's wrong here
Blob Storage is for unstructured binary data, not queryable JSON.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse Azure Table Storage's key-value model with JSON document support, or assume Azure SQL Database's JSON functions make it suitable for globally distributed, high-throughput JSON workloads, missing Cosmos DB's core differentiator of turnkey global distribution and guaranteed low latency.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Azure Cosmos DB uses a write-optimized, log-structured index (LSM-tree) and a multi-master replication protocol to achieve its latency guarantees, with automatic indexing of all JSON properties by default. A real-world scenario is a global e-commerce platform that stores product catalogs as JSON documents and requires sub-10-millisecond reads from any region; Cosmos DB's consistency levels (e.g., bounded staleness) allow tuning between performance and data freshness. The service exposes multiple APIs (SQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, Gremlin, Table) but the native SQL API is the most direct for JSON document queries.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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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: Azure Cosmos DB — Azure Cosmos DB is the most appropriate service because it is a globally distributed, multi-model database that natively supports JSON documents and provides guaranteed single-digit-millisecond latency at the 99th percentile, along with high throughput via configurable request units (RUs). Its turnkey global distribution enables low-latency reads and writes across multiple Azure regions, making it ideal for globally queried JSON workloads.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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