Implement and Manage Storage for AZ-104

Storage questions on AZ-104 are rarely just about naming the right SKU. They are usually about choosing the right redundancy, the right access pattern, and the right data-protection settings for a specific operational goal.

What this domain is really testing

You need enough storage judgment to balance resilience, cost, private connectivity, operational convenience, and recovery behavior. Microsoft expects administrators to understand both the control plane around storage accounts and the data-plane implications of choices such as SAS, firewalls, lifecycle rules, and soft delete.

Current weight in the study guide

Microsoft currently weights this domain at 15–20% of AZ-104. It is not the single largest domain, but it produces a high number of subtle decision questions because access, redundancy, and protection settings overlap so often.

Work this domain in order

Start with Storage Account Design, Redundancy, and Encryption and then move to Storage Access, Private Connectivity, and Data Protection.

Common AZ-104 traps

• confusing backup with replication
• picking redundancy from habit instead of business requirements
• granting storage access with long-lived keys when a narrower option fits
• forgetting that private endpoints usually bring DNS work with them

If you miss storage questions, slow down and ask which layer the question is about: account design, network path, delegated access, or data protection. That framing usually narrows the answer quickly.

In this section

• Configure Storage Account Design, Redundancy, and Encryption for AZ-104
  Choose storage account settings, replication options, encryption behavior, and supporting tools for AZ-104 storage design questions.
• Configure Storage Access, Private Connectivity, and Data Protection for AZ-104
  Understand SAS, keys, storage firewalls, Azure Files access, blob lifecycle settings, versioning, and soft-delete behavior for AZ-104.