AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam

Start here! Get your feet wet with the Microsoft cloud and begin your journey to earning your Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals certification!

Fundamental

Gauge your current knowledge

Track Readiness

Set Exam Goal

Fundamental

Gauge your current knowledge

Track Readiness

Set Exam Goal

Describe Azure storage services

Describe Azure architecture and services

Compare Azure Storage services

Evaluate Azure Table Storage

Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL service for storing structured, non-relational data. It uses a schemaless design, meaning you can store different types of data in the same table without a fixed structure, which makes it easy to adapt as your application changes. Data is organized into tables inside a storage account, where each table contains entities (like rows) with simple name-value pair properties. It is a cost-effective choice for storing large volumes of data that don't require complex relationships, such as user profiles or device information.

Analyze Azure Queue Storage

Azure Queue Storage is a messaging service that helps different parts of an application communicate asynchronously. It stores messages in a queue, allowing one component to send a message without waiting for another component to process it immediately. This decoupling makes applications more scalable and resilient because work can wait in the queue if a processing component is busy or fails. This pattern is ideal for creating backlogs of work or for load leveling between microservices.

Differentiate Azure Disk Storage

Azure Disk Storage provides virtual hard disks for Azure virtual machines (VMs). It comes in two main management types: managed disks and unmanaged disks. Managed disks are the recommended and simpler option because Azure handles the underlying storage accounts, scaling, and redundancy for you. Disks are offered in several performance tiers to match different workload needs, from cost-effective Standard HDD for backups to high-performance Premium SSD for databases. When you create a VM, Azure also provides a temporary local SSD for non-persistent data like swap space.

Examine Azure File Storage

Azure File Storage provides fully managed file shares in the cloud using the standard SMB protocol. This means it works like a traditional Windows file server, allowing you to create shared drives that can be accessed by Windows, Linux, or macOS clients. A key feature for hybrid environments is Azure File Sync, which caches your Azure file shares on a Windows Server in your own data center and keeps the cloud and on-premises data in sync. Azure Files preserves important file details and supports identity-based authentication for secure access.

Understand Azure Blob Storage

Azure Blob Storage is Microsoft's object storage service for unstructured data, such as images, videos, and log files. It is designed to store massive amounts of data, scaling from small files to petabytes. Data is organized inside containers, which hold individual data objects called blobs. A major feature is its access tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive), which let you optimize costs based on how often you need to access your data. Blob Storage is built for durability and availability, with configurable replication options to protect against outages.

Describe storage tiers

Overview of Azure Storage Tiers

Azure offers storage tiers to optimize cost and performance for storing different types of data. Each tier represents a level of data accessibility and cost structure. The Hot tier is designed for data you access frequently, providing the lowest latency and highest throughput. The Cool tier offers lower storage costs for infrequently accessed data that still needs to be retrieved occasionally. The Archive tier provides the lowest storage cost for long-term retention data you rarely need, but retrieving it can take several hours.

Use Cases for Each Storage Tier

Choosing the right tier depends on your access patterns and required retrieval speed. Use the Hot tier for active workloads like real-time analytics or live content streaming. Use the Cool tier for backup data, long-term logs, or older media files that are accessed a few times per quarter. Use the Archive tier for compliance archives, legal documents, or historical records that can tolerate hours of retrieval time. By matching your data to the appropriate tier, you can balance performance needs with your budget.

Performance and Cost Considerations for Azure Storage Tiers

The Hot tier delivers the fastest access but at higher storage cost per gigabyte. The Cool and Archive tiers reduce storage prices but impose higher costs for data access and transaction operations. Moving blobs between tiers incurs charges, and moving data out of the Archive tier requires a rehydration process that adds time and cost. You can optimize costs with lifecycle management policies, which automatically transition data to cooler tiers based on rules, and with reserved capacity, which offers discounted rates for a commitment of one or three years.

Data Lifecycle Management

Azure Storage provides a policy-based approach to automate data tiering and expiration. A lifecycle management policy consists of rules with filters and actions. Filters can target specific containers or select blobs by index tags. Actions can move blobs to Cool, Cold, or Archive tiers or delete blobs at the end of their lifecycle. These policies help maintain compliance with data retention requirements and ensure data is stored in the most cost-effective tier based on its last accessed or modified date.

Security and Compliance in Azure Storage Tiers

Security features work across all storage tiers. Access control is managed through Microsoft Entra ID authorization, Shared Key authorization, or SAS tokens. Encryption safeguards your data both at rest (using Microsoft-managed or customer-managed keys) and in transit (using TLS). Data protection features like Soft delete, Blob versioning, and Immutable storage help guard against accidental or malicious data loss. Monitoring tools like logging, metrics, and blob inventory reports help you demonstrate compliance with organizational and regulatory standards.

Describe redundancy options

Assess Redundancy Options for Different Scenarios

Azure storage redundancy helps ensure high availability and data resilience by keeping multiple copies of your data. Choosing the right option depends on balancing your data's criticality, your budget, and any compliance rules. Development or test environments often use Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) because it is the most affordable. Applications needing high availability within a single region are a good fit for Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS). Mission-critical workloads that must survive a complete regional outage require Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) or Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS).

...

A decision tree that starts with the need for cross-region disaster recovery, then evaluates read access from a secondary region and zone-level protection, ultimately selecting between LRS, ZRS, GRS, and RA-GRS.

Identify Types of Redundancy Options

Azure Storage provides four primary redundancy strategies. Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) creates three copies of your data on separate hardware within a single Azure datacenter. Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) also maintains three copies but spreads them across multiple availability zones within one region. Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) creates six total copies: three in your primary region and three in a paired secondary region. Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) is similar to GRS but adds read-only access to the secondary copies.

Understand Locally Redundant Storage (LRS)

Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) is Azure's basic and most cost-effective replication option. It stores three copies of your data within the same data center, placed on separate hardware nodes across different physical racks. This protects your data from common hardware failures like a server or disk malfunction. The main limitation is its lack of protection against a datacenter-wide outage, as all copies are kept in one facility. LRS is suitable for non-critical workloads or data that can be easily recreated.

Analyze Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS)

Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) replicates your data across multiple availability zones within a single Azure region. It maintains three copies in separate physical facilities, each with independent power, cooling, and networking. This design provides protection against a failure impacting an entire availability zone. ZRS offers higher availability than LRS for production workloads that need strong uptime within a region but do not require cross-region disaster recovery. It does not allow read access from a secondary location.

Evaluate Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) and Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS)

Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) and Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) are Azure's solutions for cross-region disaster recovery. Both options asynchronously replicate your data to a secondary Azure region located hundreds of miles away, maintaining a total of six copies. The key difference is access to the secondary copies. With standard GRS, the secondary data is used only for failover recovery. RA-GRS adds read-only access to the secondary copies at all times, which can reduce read latency for users located closer to that region.

Describe storage account options and storage types

Differentiate Between Storage Tiers

Azure provides storage tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive) within General-purpose v2 storage accounts to help balance cost and performance based on data access frequency. The Hot tier offers the lowest latency and highest throughput for frequently accessed data, like live streaming content. The Cool tier provides lower storage costs for data accessed less often, such as source assets or long-term archives, though it has higher read and write operation costs. A common strategy uses separate storage accounts tuned for each tier to optimize overall expenses.

Evaluate Data Redundancy Options

Azure storage accounts offer several data redundancy choices to protect against failures. Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) replicates your data three times within a single region. Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) spreads three copies across availability zones in one region. Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) copies data to a secondary region for a total of six copies. Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) adds read-only access to the secondary region. Your choice should match your application's criticality, budget, and recovery requirements.

Examine Azure Storage Services

Azure storage accounts provide unique namespaces for your data. The General Purpose v2 account kind is recommended for most workloads. Core services include Azure Blob Storage for unstructured object data, Azure File Storage for managed network file shares, Queue Storage for asynchronous messaging, and Table Storage for NoSQL data. Beyond these, Azure provides specialized storage like Azure Disks for VM-attached disks and Azure NetApp Files for enterprise-grade NAS, each addressing unique performance and protocol needs.

Analyze Security and Management Features

Azure provides several security and management tools. You can authorize access using Managed Identity, account access keys (stored securely in Azure Key Vault), Azure RBAC, or SAS tokens. Choosing the right storage account SKU affects data durability; for testing, use Standard_LRS, and for production, consider Standard_RAGRS to protect against region failures. The Hot and Cool access tiers let you balance performance and cost, such as storing streaming assets in hot storage and master files in cool storage.

Identify Azure Storage Account Types

Azure offers different storage account types. General-purpose v2 (GPv2) accounts are recommended for new workloads and provide the latest performance improvements and access tier capabilities. Blob storage accounts focus on object storage and tiering for cost optimization. When selecting a SKU, consider replication needs: Standard_LRS for testing and Standard_RAGRS for production business continuity. Always choose storage accounts in the same region as your services to avoid additional egress charges.

Identify options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync

Evaluate Use Cases for Each File Transfer Tool

Three main tools for moving files are AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync. AzCopy is a command-line utility built for high-performance, scriptable transfers of millions of files. Azure Storage Explorer is a graphical tool ideal for ad-hoc, interactive file management with drag-and-drop support. Azure File Sync is a synchronization service for hybrid scenarios, keeping on-premises Windows Server and Azure file shares in sync with cloud tiering and local caching.

Compare Performance and Cost Implications

AzCopy uses parallel threads for maximum throughput with no additional service fees—you pay only for network bandwidth and storage operations. Azure Storage Explorer supports basic uploads and downloads with limited parallelism and is free to use, with costs only for storage transactions and bandwidth. Azure File Sync enables continuous hybrid sync; the initial sync can take time, but subsequent syncs transfer only changed blocks. Costs involve Azure storage charges and network egress, though tiering can lower storage fees.

Implement Azure File Sync for Hybrid Storage Solutions

Azure File Sync centralizes on-premises file servers into Azure file shares while keeping local caching for fast file access. It uses cloud tiering to move cold files to Azure when local space is needed. The synchronization process performs an initial sync of all files, followed by incremental syncs that only transfer changed items, minimizing downtime. Combined with Azure Backup, it provides built-in disaster recovery and hybrid backup capabilities, balancing cloud scalability with on-premises performance.

Utilize Azure Storage Explorer for File Management

Azure Storage Explorer is a graphical user interface tool that helps users connect to and manage Azure storage services across Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can sign in with your Azure account, a shared access signature, or a storage account key. It allows you to perform common file operations like upload, download, rename, and delete via drag-and-drop and context menus. The tool also lets you view and edit file metadata and monitor real-time transfer progress, making it ideal for small-scale, interactive tasks.

Understand the Functionality of AzCopy

AzCopy is a command-line tool that transfers data between your local environment and your Azure storage accounts, supporting Azure Blob Storage and Azure File Shares. It integrates with Microsoft Entra ID for secure, token-based authorization, avoiding the need to manually append SAS tokens. You can authorize AzCopy using a user identity, managed identity, or service principal. AzCopy excels when you need to move large amounts of data quickly or integrate file transfers into automation scripts and pipelines.

Describe migration options, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box

Evaluate Migration Scenarios

Azure Data Box, Azure Storage Mover, and Azure Migrate offer different paths for migration. Azure Data Box is a physical device for offline bulk transfers when network bandwidth is limited. Azure Storage Mover is a hybrid service with an on-premises agent that handles online catch-up and delta sync after a bulk transfer. Azure Migrate provides tools to assess, plan, and orchestrate workload migrations through defined phases: evaluate, select, migrate, and cutover. Choosing the right option depends on data volume, network bandwidth, and timeline.

Analyze Security and Compliance

Azure ensures data protection during migration. Transport-level encryption using HTTPS and SMB 3.0 secures data in transit. Storage Service Encryption (SSE) encrypts data at rest by default. Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) secures management operations, and Shared Access Signatures (SAS) enforce fine-grained data access. Azure Data Box ships your data securely to an Azure datacenter, preserving network bandwidth. Following best practices and leveraging Microsoft support helps ensure a secure, compliant move to Azure.

Understand Azure Migrate

Azure Migrate is a migration hub that helps organizations move workloads from on-premises to Azure. It provides a single pane of glass to discover, assess, and migrate servers, databases, and web applications. Key integrated tools include Server Assessment, Server Migration, Database Migration, and Web App Migration. Azure Migrate shows a Workload to Azure Service mapping with readiness coverage, suggested targets, and cost estimates, helping you plan a migration strategy with confidence before starting.

Plan and Execute Migration Strategies

Migration strategies involve choosing between Azure Migrate for assessing and migrating virtual machines and Azure Data Box for large-scale offline data transfers. Azure Migrate offers unified assessment, dependency analysis, and cost estimation. Azure Data Box provides secure, tamper-resistant devices for transferring petabytes of data without relying on internet bandwidth. A comprehensive plan includes pre-migration assessment, data transfer, and post-migration validation to ensure workloads move smoothly, securely, and within budget.

Examine Azure Data Box

Azure Data Box is a family of offline data transfer solutions. Azure Data Box Disk offers portable drives (up to 8 TB each) for simple plug-and-play setup. Azure Data Box (standard) is a single appliance holding up to 100 TB of data with an integrated network interface. Azure Data Box Heavy supports up to 1 PB per order for petabyte-scale enterprise migrations. All devices are encrypted, tracked, and managed through the Azure portal, providing a fast and cost-effective way to overcome network limitations.

...