A retail company uses Azure Blob Storage to store millions of customer receipts as PDF files. These receipts are frequently accessed for the first 30 days for customer service inquiries, then accessed only rarely for auditing purposes for the next 5 years. After 5 years, they are no longer needed. To optimize storage costs, which Azure Blob Storage access tier strategy should be implemented?
- AHot tier for 30 days, then Cool tier for 5 years, then delete.
- BHot tier for 60 days, then Archive tier.
- CCool tier for 30 days, then Archive tier for 5 years.
- DArchive tier immediately, then retrieve as needed.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Hot tier for 30 days, then Cool tier for 5 years, then delete.
The Hot tier is for frequently accessed data, the Cool tier for infrequently accessed data with lower storage costs but higher access costs, and the Archive tier for rarely accessed, long-term archival data with the lowest storage costs but highest access costs and latency. This strategy aligns with the access patterns and cost optimization goals.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Skipping the Cool tier for rarely accessed data between 30 days and 5 years would be more expensive for retrieval from Archive if occasional access is needed.
- C. Starting with Cool tier for frequently accessed data (first 30 days) would incur higher access costs unnecessarily.
- D. Archiving immediately would incur high retrieval costs for frequent access during the first 30 days and is not suitable for data needing occasional access for 5 years.
Azure Blob Storage Access Tiers
Different storage tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive) in Azure Blob Storage that allow you to balance storage costs with data access costs and latency based on how frequently your data is accessed.
- Hot: Optimized for frequently accessed data, higher storage cost, lower access cost.
- Cool: Optimized for infrequently accessed data, lower storage cost, higher access cost.
- Archive: Optimized for rarely accessed, long-term archival data, lowest storage cost, highest access cost and latency.
Memory trick: Blob tiers are like 'temperature' settings for your data: Hot for active, Cool for chilling, Archive for deep freeze.