DP-900 Practice Question: Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure
You need to provide temporary access to a specific blob in Azure Blob Storage for a limited time. The access should be time-limited and require no authentication from the user. Which mechanism should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
DP-900 often tests the distinction between authentication-based access (RBAC, Microsoft Entra ID) and delegated token-based access (SAS) — candidates who overlook the 'no authentication required' phrase incorrectly choose RBAC roles.
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
✓
Shared access signatures (SAS)
A Shared Access Signature (SAS) is a URI that grants restricted, time-limited access to a specific Azure Storage resource without exposing the account key and without requiring the caller to authenticate with Microsoft Entra ID. You can scope a SAS to a single blob, define start and expiry times, and limit permissions to read-only, which exactly matches the requirement for temporary, unauthenticated access to one blob.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Storage account keys
Why it's wrong here
Storage account keys grant unrestricted administrative control over all data and services within the entire storage account. They do not expire and cannot be scoped to a single blob, so using them would expose far more than the targeted blob and fail the 'temporary' requirement. Any compromise of a key demands a full account key rotation, making this approach overly risky and operationally heavy for a one-off access grant.
- ✗
Anonymous public access
Why it's wrong here
Anonymous public access removes authentication completely, allowing anyone on the internet to read the blob without restrictions. It can only be configured at the container level, not on a per-blob basis, and the access has no built-in expiry mechanism. To end the access you must manually change the container's public access setting, which would also affect every other blob in that container.
- ✗
Azure RBAC roles
Why it's wrong here
Azure RBAC assigns permissions to Microsoft Entra ID principals (users, groups, or service principals) at a specified scope, such as a container or storage account. It is identity-based, so it cannot grant access to anonymous users, and role assignments do not carry an expiration date. Even if you scope the role to a single blob's container, you would need to manually remove or change the assignment to end access, which is not a true temporary delegation.
- ✓
Shared access signatures (SAS)
Why this is correct
A shared access signature (SAS) is a signed URI that grants time-bound and permission-limited access to a specific blob without revealing the account key. It lets you specify exact start/expiry times, allowed IP ranges, and supported protocols, making it ideal for controlled temporary access. Additionally, you can use a stored access policy to revoke the SAS before its expiry, offering a clean way to manage short-lived delegated access.
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
Real-Time Analytics on Azure
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
Azure Storage
Azure Storage is Microsoft's cloud-based service for storing data like files, messages, and backups with high durability and scalability.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.