Correct Answer: 3

Azure storage offers different access tiers, which allow you to store blob object data in the most cost-effective manner. The available access tiers include:

Hot – Optimized for storing data that is accessed frequently.

Cool – Optimized for storing data that is infrequently accessed and stored for at least 30 days.

Archive – Optimized for storing data that is rarely accessed and stored for at least 180 days with flexible latency requirements (on the order of hours).

The following considerations apply to the different access tiers:

– Only the hot and cool access tiers can be set at the account level. The archive access tier isn’t available at the account level.

– Hot, cool, and archive tiers can be set at the blob level during upload or after upload.

– Data in the cool access tier can tolerate slightly lower availability, but still requires high durability, retrieval latency, and throughput characteristics similar to hot data. For cool data, a slightly lower availability service-level agreement (SLA) and higher access costs compared to hot data are acceptable trade-offs for lower storage costs.

– Archive storage stores data offline and offers the lowest storage costs but also the highest data rehydrate and access costs

Archive tier is optimized for data that can tolerate several hours of retrieval latency and that will remain in the archive tier for at least 180 days. The archive tier is the most cost-effective option for storing data. However, accessing that data is more expensive than accessing data in the hot or cool tiers. Rehydration is the term for retrieving files from the archive tier.

Hence, the correct answer is: Store the records to Azure Blob Storage – Archive Tier.

The option that says: Store the patient records to Azure Blob Storage – Cool tier is incorrect. Although this access tier is optimized for infrequent access and can store data for at least 30 days, this storage type still costs higher than the archive tier. Take note that as per the scenario, a delay in retrieval is not an issue.

The option that says: Store the records in a virtual machine is incorrect because data disks have a higher per GB costs compared to Azure Blobs. Also, you have to maintain your own virtual machine, perform backups, and OS patching which will add to the costs.

The option that says: Store the records to Azure Blob Storage – Hot Tier is incorrect because this access tier is optimized for frequent access and has higher storage costs compared with cool and archive tiers. As per the requirements of the scenario, you need a cost-effective solution to store infrequently accessed objects.

References: 

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/storage/archive/
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/storage-blob-storage-tiers

Note: This question was extracted from our AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Practice Exams.