Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect ExpertDesign data storage solutionsHard
A global IoT solution collects sensor data from millions of devices worldwide. This data needs to be stored for a maximum of 30 days, primarily for real-time dashboards and alerting. The solution must be highly available, low-cost, and capable of handling high write throughput without requiring complex indexing or querying beyond simple lookups based on device ID and timestamp. Which Azure non-relational data storage solution is most suitable?
- AAzure SQL Database
- BAzure Cache for Redis
- CAzure Cosmos DB (SQL API)
- DAzure Table Storage
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Azure Table Storage
Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL key-value store optimized for high-volume, low-cost storage of semi-structured data. It provides high write throughput for simple lookups based on partition key (device ID) and row key (timestamp), making it very cost-effective for short-term IoT data storage without complex query needs.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Azure SQL Database is a relational database and is not optimized for high write throughput of semi-structured IoT data at scale, nor is it as cost-effective for simple key-value storage.
- B. Azure Cache for Redis is an in-memory data store for caching and real-time analytics, not designed for persistent, high-volume storage of millions of records for 30 days.
- C. Azure Cosmos DB (SQL API) offers more advanced features, global distribution, and higher consistency models, which would be overkill and more expensive for simple lookups and short-term, low-cost IoT data.
Azure Table Storage
A NoSQL key-value store that stores large amounts of structured non-relational data, offering a low-cost, highly scalable solution with fast access for simple queries.
- Stores tabular data (entities) with PartitionKey and RowKey
- Highly scalable for massive datasets
- Cost-effective for high-volume, simple data storage
Memory trick: Table Storage: 'T' for 'Telemetry' with 'T'iny costs.