- A
Hot for 30 days, then Cool for 11 months, then Archive
Hot tier serves the initial frequent access with low latency. Cool tier reduces storage cost during the period of occasional access (once per month) while still allowing retrieval within seconds. Archive tier provides the lowest cost for long-term compliance storage.
- B
Hot for 30 days, then Archive immediately
Why wrong: Archive tier has offline retrieval times of up to several hours, which is unacceptable for the monthly access pattern during the next 11 months. Additionally, retrieving data from Archive incurs high rehydration costs.
- C
Cool for 30 days, then Cool for 11 months, then Archive
Why wrong: Cool tier is not optimized for frequent access; it has higher latency and per-access costs. Using Cool for the first 30 days would increase costs and potentially degrade user experience.
- D
Hot for 365 days, then Archive
Why wrong: Keeping data in Hot tier for a full year is significantly more expensive than transitioning to Cool after the initial 30 days, since the data is only accessed occasionally during months 2-12.
DP-900 Practice Question: Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure
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 media company stores high-definition video files for on-demand streaming. The files are accessed very frequently for the first 30 days after upload, then rarely (about once per month) for the next year, and after one year they are rarely accessed but must be retained for compliance (about once per year). Which set of access tier transitions minimizes cost while meeting access requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
Hot for 30 days, then Cool for 11 months, then Archive
Option A is correct because it aligns the Azure Blob Storage access tier transitions with the access pattern: Hot tier for the first 30 days of frequent access, Cool tier for the next 11 months of monthly access, and Archive tier after one year for rare compliance access. This minimizes cost by moving data to progressively cheaper storage tiers as access frequency drops, while still meeting the access requirements (Cool supports monthly access, Archive supports yearly access with retrieval time).
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 for 30 days, then Cool for 11 months, then Archive
Why this is correct
Hot tier serves the initial frequent access with low latency. Cool tier reduces storage cost during the period of occasional access (once per month) while still allowing retrieval within seconds. Archive tier provides the lowest cost for long-term compliance storage.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Hot for 30 days, then Archive immediately
Why it's wrong here
Archive tier has offline retrieval times of up to several hours, which is unacceptable for the monthly access pattern during the next 11 months. Additionally, retrieving data from Archive incurs high rehydration costs.
- ✗
Cool for 30 days, then Cool for 11 months, then Archive
Why it's wrong here
Cool tier is not optimized for frequent access; it has higher latency and per-access costs. Using Cool for the first 30 days would increase costs and potentially degrade user experience.
- ✗
Hot for 365 days, then Archive
Why it's wrong here
Keeping data in Hot tier for a full year is significantly more expensive than transitioning to Cool after the initial 30 days, since the data is only accessed occasionally during months 2-12.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the Cool tier is always cheaper than Hot for the first 30 days, but Cool's higher read costs and 30-day minimum charge make Hot more cost-effective for frequent access, and Archive's retrieval latency makes it unsuitable for monthly access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Blob Storage access tiers have different cost structures: Hot has low access cost but high storage cost, Cool has moderate storage cost with a 30-day minimum charge and higher read costs, and Archive has the lowest storage cost but a 15-hour retrieval time and a 180-day minimum storage duration. The lifecycle management policy can automate tier transitions using rules based on the 'Last Modified' or 'Creation Time' property, ensuring cost optimization without manual intervention. In real-world scenarios, failing to account for the Cool tier's minimum storage charge can lead to unexpected costs if data is moved too quickly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-900 question test?
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..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Hot for 30 days, then Cool for 11 months, then Archive — Option A is correct because it aligns the Azure Blob Storage access tier transitions with the access pattern: Hot tier for the first 30 days of frequent access, Cool tier for the next 11 months of monthly access, and Archive tier after one year for rare compliance access. This minimizes cost by moving data to progressively cheaper storage tiers as access frequency drops, while still meeting the access requirements (Cool supports monthly access, Archive supports yearly access with retrieval time).
What should I do if I get this DP-900 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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