Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
DP-900 Practice Question: Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure
A media company stores raw video footage as blobs in Azure Blob Storage. After processing, the raw footage is kept for compliance purposes and is accessed only a few times per year. The company wants to minimize storage costs while ensuring the data is durable and can be restored within 24 hours if needed. Which Azure Blob Storage access tier should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the Cold tier (which is a separate tier in Azure, not to be mistaken with Archive) and assume it is the cheapest option, but Archive is actually the lowest-cost tier for data that can tolerate a 24-hour retrieval time, while Cold is still more expensive and has a lower retrieval latency.
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
✓
Archive
The Archive tier is the correct choice because it offers the lowest storage cost for data that is rarely accessed (a few times per year) and can tolerate a retrieval latency of up to 15 hours, which is well within the 24-hour restoration requirement. Azure Blob Storage's Archive tier is designed for long-term retention, compliance, and backup scenarios where durability is maintained through geo-redundant replication options, and data can be rehydrated to an online tier (e.g., Hot or Cool) within the specified time frame.
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
The Hot tier is optimized for high-frequency access and has the highest storage cost among the four access tiers. It provides no retrieval latency benefits that matter here, since the media company needs to access the footage only a few times per year and allows up to 24 hours for recovery. Paying premium Hot-tier rates for long-term compliance storage would be wasteful, especially when the Archive tier offers the lowest storage cost and still meets the retrieval latency requirement.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to store video footage that is accessed and modified multiple times daily, and requires low-latency access for real-time editing. The Hot tier would be correct for such frequently accessed data.
- ✗
Cool
Why it's wrong here
The Cool tier is for data that is accessed infrequently (30+ days) and has lower storage cost than Hot but is still more expensive than Archive. Given the very rare access pattern, Archive is more cost-effective.
When this WOULD be correct
A company stores data that is accessed infrequently (e.g., once per quarter) and needs retrieval within seconds, not hours. The Cool tier balances lower storage cost than Hot with low-latency access.
- ✗
Cold
Why it's wrong here
The Cold tier is designed for data accessed infrequently (at least 30 days) but still incurs higher storage costs than Archive. While it offers lower latency than Archive, the compliance footage is accessed only a few times per year and can tolerate up to 24 hours of retrieval time, making Archive the more cost-effective choice. Additionally, Cold has a 30-day minimum billing period per blob, which adds unnecessary cost for data that may sit untouched for far longer.
- ✓
Archive
Why this is correct
The Archive tier offers the lowest storage cost for data that is rarely accessed and can tolerate a retrieval latency of up to 15 hours. This matches the company's requirements of access only a few times per year and a 24-hour recovery window.
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.
✓ArchiveCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
The Archive tier offers the lowest storage cost for data that is rarely accessed and can tolerate a retrieval latency of up to 15 hours. This matches the company's requirements of access only a few times per year and a 24-hour recovery window.
✗HotWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Hot tier is designed for frequently accessed data and has the highest storage cost, making it unsuitable for footage accessed only a few times per year where cost minimization is key.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to store video footage that is accessed and modified multiple times daily, and requires low-latency access for real-time editing. The Hot tier would be correct for such frequently accessed data.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may assume 'Hot' is always the best for durability and quick access, overlooking that the question prioritizes cost minimization over access speed.
✗CoolWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Cool tier has a 30-day minimum storage duration and higher retrieval costs than Archive, making it suboptimal for data accessed only a few times per year with a 24-hour restoration window.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company stores data that is accessed infrequently (e.g., once per quarter) and needs retrieval within seconds, not hours. The Cool tier balances lower storage cost than Hot with low-latency access.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think 'Cool' is cold enough for rarely accessed data, but they overlook that Archive is cheaper for data accessed only a few times per year and allows 24-hour restoration.
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
Data
Data is raw, unprocessed information, like numbers, words, or measurements, that can be stored, processed, and analyzed by computers.
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.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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