AZ-305 Question 84
Single answerYour company aggregates sensor data from thousands of IoT devices. The incoming data is unstructured (ranging from JSON files to CSV logs) and grows by tens of terabytes daily. You need a cost-effective, highly scalable storage solution that can integrate seamlessly with big data analytics tools such as Azure Databricks and Azure Synapse Analytics. Which Azure service is most appropriate for storing this unstructured data?
- A
Azure Files
- B
Azure Blob Storage with Data Lake Storage Gen2
- C
Azure NetApp Files
- D
Azure Cosmos DB
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Azure Blob Storage with Data Lake Storage Gen2 is designed to handle massive amounts of unstructured data and provide advanced capabilities such as hierarchical namespaces, high throughput, and integration with Azure analytics services. According to Microsoft’s documentation (https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/storage/blobs/data-lake-storage-introduction), Data Lake Storage Gen2 extends Azure Blob Storage capabilities to support big data analytics in a cost-effective and scalable manner. This makes it the most suitable solution for scenarios requiring ingestion, storage, and analysis of large volumes of unstructured data.
- A. Incorrect.
Option 1: Azure Files. While Azure Files provides fully managed file shares in the cloud that can be accessed via SMB or NFS, it’s not optimized for massive, unstructured data ingestion and big data analytics. Azure Files is generally better suited for file-share scenarios rather than large-scale, unstructured data workloads.
- B. Correct.
Option 2: Azure Blob Storage with Data Lake Storage Gen2. This is the correct choice. Data Lake Storage Gen2, built on Azure Blob Storage, is specifically designed for high-throughput analytics and storing large volumes of unstructured data. It provides hierarchical namespaces for efficient querying of massive datasets and integrates seamlessly with Azure services like Azure Databricks and Azure Synapse Analytics.
- C. Incorrect.
Option 3: Azure NetApp Files. Azure NetApp Files provides fully managed NetApp file storage for enterprise file-based workloads (NFS, SMB). It’s not as cost-effective or optimized as Data Lake Storage Gen2 for large-scale unstructured data analytics scenarios.
- D. Incorrect.
Option 4: Azure Cosmos DB. This is a globally distributed, multi-model database service. While it can store JSON documents, it is not primarily intended for cost-effective storage of very large volumes of unstructured data. It’s more suited for applications requiring low latency and global distribution for frequently changing data.