Microsoft Azure Data FundamentalsDescribe how to work with non-relational data on AzureEasy
A research institution needs to store petabytes of raw scientific data, including high-resolution images, video streams, and experimental results. This data will be infrequently accessed for long-term archival purposes, but when accessed, retrieval speed is not a critical concern. Cost-effectiveness for storage is paramount. Which Azure Blob Storage access tier is the MOST suitable for this scenario?
- ACool
- BArchive
- CHot
- DPremium
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Archive
The Archive tier is designed for rarely accessed data with flexible latency requirements (hours for retrieval) and the lowest storage costs. This perfectly matches the requirement for long-term archival of petabytes of infrequently accessed scientific data where cost-effectiveness is paramount and retrieval speed is not critical.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Cool is for infrequently accessed data (at least 30 days) with slightly lower storage costs than Hot but higher than Archive and faster retrieval.
- C. Hot is for frequently accessed data with higher storage costs and lowest access costs.
- D. Premium is for high-performance block blobs with very low latency, at a much higher cost.
Azure Blob Storage Archive Tier
The lowest-cost storage tier for Azure Blob Storage, optimized for rarely accessed, long-term archival data.
- Offers the lowest storage costs.
- Highest data retrieval latency (can take hours).
- High access costs for retrieval.
- Ideal for backups, compliance data, and raw data archives.
Memory trick: Think of storage tiers like temperature: Hot (active), Cool (less active), Archive (frozen in time).