Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect ExpertDesign data storage solutionsMedium
A global pharmaceutical company is conducting a large-scale genomics research project. The project involves storing petabytes of raw genomic sequencing data, which consists of very large files (up to several terabytes each). This data is accessed infrequently after initial ingestion but needs to be available for intermittent analysis. Cost optimization for storage is a primary concern. Which Azure storage solution is most cost-effective for these requirements?
- AAzure Disk Storage
- BAzure Files
- CAzure Data Lake Storage Gen2
- DAzure Premium Blob Storage
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 is built on Azure Blob Storage and optimized for big data analytics, supporting petabyte-scale data with hierarchical namespaces and cost-effective storage tiers (including cool and archive) suitable for large, infrequently accessed files.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Azure Disk Storage is primarily used for virtual machine disks, offering high performance for OS and data drives, but it is not a cost-effective solution for petabyte-scale, infrequently accessed raw analytics data.
- B. Azure Files provides fully managed file shares accessible via SMB and NFS, typically used for application shares or home directories, and is not designed for petabyte-scale analytics data or cost-effective storage of very large, infrequently accessed files.
- D. Azure Premium Blob Storage is optimized for high-performance, low-latency access, which is not required for infrequently accessed data, making it more expensive than necessary.
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
A set of capabilities built on Azure Blob Storage, dedicated to big data analytics. It combines the scalability and cost-effectiveness of object storage with the hierarchical file system capabilities needed for big data workloads.
- Optimized for big data analytics workloads.
- Provides a hierarchical namespace for file system semantics.
- Built on Azure Blob Storage, leveraging its cost-effective tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive).
- Supports petabyte-scale data and high throughput.
Memory trick: Data Lake Gen2: The genomic ocean, deep, vast, and cost-effective for analysis.