Part 3: Azure Storage Decision Lab

Build an Azure Storage lab for services, tiers, redundancy, and transfers.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Azure storage choices can sound almost identical when you only meet them as exam definitions. Their differences become clearer when you move real files through them.

In this project, you will build an Azure Storage decision lab that turns storage choices into visible results. You will compare a manual Azure portal upload with a complete folder transfer in Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer.

What You'll Build

Your finished lab shows a complete nested folder beside a decision card that explains which storage or migration option fits each scenario.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A manual upload comparison that shows one file in private Blob Storage while the nested folders remain local.
A complete folder-transfer demo where all three nested folders appear after Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer finishes the upload.
A storage decision card that matches Azure Storage services, account types, access tiers, redundancy options, and five movement tools to real scenarios.
Secret Mission: Copy the active folder into an Azure Files share. Explain why it suits a different workload from Blob Storage.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a supported Windows device plus an active Azure subscription with permission to create and delete storage accounts.

Step 1 verifies your portal access. It also guides you through installing Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer 1.46.0.

Before We Start

First, lock in what you are building before the hands-on work begins. Your Azure Storage decision lab helps you compare storage services, account choices, access tiers, redundancy options, and transfer tools.

Set Up the Windows Storage Lab

Your Azure portal session confirms that the subscription for this lab is available. A predictable local folder keeps tool setup from interrupting the storage comparison later.

In this step, you will install Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer on Windows. You will also prepare the three sample files that move through the lab.

In this step, get ready to:

Confirm access to the Azure subscription for this lab.
Install Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer 1.46.0.
Create the nested sample folder in Windows File Explorer.

Confirm your Azure subscription

An Azure subscription is the management boundary for the resources you create. Confirming the correct subscription now keeps the storage account in the intended place.

This sign-in only checks your access. It creates no Azure resources.

Open the Azure portal in your web browser.
Sign in with the Azure account you prepared for this project.
Find the subscription you plan to use in the portal.
Record its displayed name here: your Azure subscription name.

Your subscription is visible. That confirms your portal session is ready for the storage account you create next.

Install Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer

Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer provides a desktop interface for working with Azure Storage data. This project uses version 1.46.0 so the transfer workflow stays consistent.

The Windows installer also supplies .NET 10 when the required runtime is missing. First, check whether another Storage Explorer version is already installed.

Press the Windows key to open search.
Type Control Panel into the search bar.
Press Enter.
Select Programs.
Select Programs and Features.
Locate Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer in the program list.
Read the number in its Version column.
Choose the tab that matches what you found.

✔️ I see version 1.46.0

Your installed version matches the project. Launch it now so you know the desktop app can start.

Press the Windows key to open search.
Type Storage Explorer into the search bar.
Press Enter.

You should see the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer window open.

ⓧ I see an older version

The pinned installer upgrades the existing app. Use the installer that matches your Windows processor.

Open the official GitHub release page for v1.46.0.
Download StorageExplorer-windows-x64.exe if your Windows device uses x64.
Download StorageExplorer-windows-arm64.exe if your Windows device uses ARM.
Run the installer you downloaded.
Approve the Windows permission request if one appears.
Complete the installation using the on-screen prompts.

The installer handles the .NET 10 runtime if your device needs it. You now have Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer 1.46.0.

Press the Windows key to open search.
Type Storage Explorer into the search bar.
Press Enter.

You should see the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer window open.

ⓧ Storage Explorer is not installed

Install the pinned release from its official GitHub page. Choose the asset that matches your Windows processor.

Open the official GitHub release page for v1.46.0.
Download StorageExplorer-windows-x64.exe if your Windows device uses x64.
Download StorageExplorer-windows-arm64.exe if your Windows device uses ARM.
Run the installer you downloaded.
Approve the Windows permission request if one appears.
Complete the installation using the on-screen prompts.

The installer supplies .NET 10 when it is missing. Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer 1.46.0 is now ready to launch.

Press the Windows key to open search.
Type Storage Explorer into the search bar.
Press Enter.

You should see the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer window open.

Storage Explorer Not Launching?

Confirm that you downloaded the x64 installer for an x64 device or the ARM64 installer for a Windows on ARM device. Run the matching installer again if the architectures differ.

If installation still fails, describe the stage where it stops when you ask for help with the Storage Explorer installation.

You can also share the installer stage with the NextWork community without including account details.

That setup hurdle is cleared. Storage Explorer can now launch when your folder is ready to move.

Create the nested sample folder

The folder structure represents three kinds of storage data. Keeping each file in its own subfolder gives the later transfer a visible nested structure to preserve.

Press the Windows key to open search.
Type File Explorer into the search bar.
Press Enter.
Select Documents in the navigation pane.
Create a folder named az900-storage-lab using File Explorer's new-folder control.
Open the az900-storage-lab folder.

File Explorer now shows the empty Documents\az900-storage-lab folder.

Create a subfolder named active.
Create a subfolder named archive.

You should see active beside archive in File Explorer.

Create a subfolder named reference.

The lab folder now contains active, archive, and reference.

The active sample represents data that is still in use. Its comma-separated rows make it easy to recognize after the transfer.

Press the Windows key to open search.
Type Notepad into the search bar.
Press Enter.
Copy this exact content into the blank document:

order_id,status
1001,ready

What Does This Sample Show?

The first row names the order fields. The second row supplies one order that is ready for processing.

Save the document as orders.csv inside Documents\az900-storage-lab\active.
Return to Windows File Explorer.
Open active\orders.csv to check its contents.

You should see the header on the first line. You should see 1001,ready on the second line.

Orders File Has the Wrong Name?

Check that the file is named orders.csv instead of ending in .txt.

If the name or rows still look different, ask for help checking the CSV file.

The archive sample represents material kept for long-term reference. Its sentence gives the later folder transfer a second file type to preserve.

Switch back to Notepad.
Start a blank document using Notepad's new-file control.
Copy this exact content into the document:

Retain quarterly policy exports for long-term reference.

What Does This Sample Represent?

This sentence stands in for a policy export kept beyond its active working period. It makes the archive folder easy to identify after upload.

Save the document as policy.txt inside Documents\az900-storage-lab\archive.
Return to Windows File Explorer.
Open archive\policy.txt to check its contents.

You should see the complete retention sentence on one line.

Policy Sentence Looks Different?

Check that the sentence ends with a full stop. Remove any blank lines above or below it.

If the saved content still differs, ask for help checking policy.txt.

The decision card starts as five headings. You will fill each section after the transfer proves that the folder structure works.

Switch back to Notepad.
Start a blank document using Notepad's new-file control.
Copy these exact headings into the document:

Services
Account types
Access tiers
Redundancy
Movement and migration tools

How Will These Headings Help?

The headings divide the storage decision into five exam-sized choices. Each later comparison has a clear place to land.

Save the document as storage-decision-card.txt inside Documents\az900-storage-lab\reference.
Return to Windows File Explorer.
Open reference\storage-decision-card.txt to check its contents.

You should see five headings. The first is Services and the last is Movement and migration tools.

Missing a Decision Card Heading?

Confirm that every heading has its own line. Check the spelling against the reference below.

If the file still differs, ask for help checking the decision card.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Great. Double check that all three files are saved inside their matching subfolders.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full code

Compare each complete file with these references:

order_id,status
1001,ready

Retain quarterly policy exports for long-term reference.

Services
Account types
Access tiers
Redundancy
Movement and migration tools

Before you check, predict whether all three nested paths will appear beside a launched Storage Explorer window.

Switch back to Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer from earlier.
Confirm that its main window is visible.
Return to Windows File Explorer.
Open Documents\az900-storage-lab.

You should see Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer running. File Explorer should show active\orders.csv, archive\policy.txt, and reference\storage-decision-card.txt inside the lab folder.

Your Windows storage lab is ready. Next, you will give these files a Standard Azure Storage account to move into.

Create the Storage Account

Your sample folder is ready. It now needs one cloud home for the four Azure Storage services in this lab.

A Standard general-purpose v2 account supports blobs, files, queues, and tables. This keeps the storage comparison inside one account.

The Hot tier keeps your sample blobs online. LRS keeps the comparison focused with Azure Storage's lowest-cost redundancy option.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a dedicated resource group for the lab.
Configure a Standard general-purpose v2 storage account.
Verify the deployed account from its Overview page.

Create the resource group and name the account

A resource group keeps related Azure resources under one management boundary. This lab uses a dedicated group so you can remove its cloud resources together later.

Azure requires storage account names to contain 3 to 24 lowercase letters or numbers. Every name must be unique across Azure.

For this lab, your account name starts with staz900.

Switch back to the Azure portal session from earlier.
Type Storage accounts into the search field at the top of the portal.
Select Storage accounts from the search results.
Select Create from the toolbar.

The Basics tab opens with the settings that define where your account lives.

Confirm the Subscription field shows the subscription you checked earlier.
Use the new-group control beside Resource group to start creating a group.
Enter rg-az900-storage-lab as the resource group name.
Confirm the new resource group in the dialog.

You should now see rg-az900-storage-lab selected in the Resource group field.

Choose your globally unique account name here: staz900<unique>.
Enter staz900<unique> in the Storage account name field.

The field should accept your name without a validation warning. A warning means the name needs a different lowercase suffix.

Configure the storage choices

The remaining Basics settings determine the account's location and storage path. Each selection keeps this lab aligned with a general-purpose account.

Select the Azure region used by your existing labs in the Region field.
Select Blob storage or Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) Gen 2 for Preferred storage type.

The form now shows your selected region. It also shows the blob-focused creation path.

Select Standard for Performance.
Select Locally redundant storage (LRS) for Redundancy.

Your Basics settings now show Standard performance with LRS redundancy.

Keep the default access tier set to Hot.

The account is now configured for frequently accessed online data.

Why This Account Path?

Choosing Standard creates the default general-purpose v2 account recommended for most storage scenarios. The preferred storage type guides the creation experience.

The account still supports Azure Blob Storage, Azure Files, Azure Queue Storage, and Azure Table Storage.

Deploy and verify the account

Azure validates the account name and configuration before deployment. This check catches unavailable names or incomplete settings before Azure provisions the resource.

Before You Create the Account

Creating this account begins usage-based Azure Storage billing. The lab uses tiny files with LRS to keep its footprint small.

Azure usage is not guaranteed to be free.

Select Review + create.
Wait for Azure to finish validating the settings.

The review page should confirm that validation succeeded.

Select Create.
Wait for Azure to complete the deployment.

The deployment page should confirm that the storage account is ready.

Before you open the resource, pause to predict the account name and resource group the Overview page will show.

Select the link for your storage account on the completed deployment page.

You should see staz900<unique> as the account name on the Overview page. You should also see rg-az900-storage-lab as its resource group.

The location should match the Azure region you selected.

Validation or Deployment Failed?

Check that your account name contains 3 to 24 lowercase letters or numbers.
Change staz900<unique> to use a different suffix if the portal reports that the name is unavailable.
Confirm that your selected subscription allows you to create resources in rg-az900-storage-lab.

Ask for help with the exact stage that failed: help me troubleshoot my Azure storage account deployment.

Your Standard general-purpose v2 account is live. Next, you'll test the portal upload flow with orders.csv.

Test a Manual Blob Upload

Your Azure Storage account is ready for data. The next question is how much of your local migration pack a manual Azure portal upload actually moves.

This test uses a private Blob Storage container. A single sample file gives you a controlled result to compare.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a private container for the migration lab.
Upload one sample file through the Azure portal.
Compare the uploaded blob with the nested local folder.

Create a private blob container

A blob container groups blobs inside a storage account. Its access level controls whether anonymous visitors can read the data.

Select Containers under Data storage in the resource menu.
Select + Container in the toolbar.
Enter migration-lab as the container name.
Keep Private (no anonymous access) as the anonymous access level.
Select Create.

Good progress. Your storage account now has a private landing place for the manual upload test.

Upload one file through the portal

A block blob stores text or binary objects such as orders.csv. The manual upload lets you choose one local file as the transfer source.

Select migration-lab from the container list.
Select Upload in the container toolbar.
Use the file picker to choose Documents\az900-storage-lab\active\orders.csv.
Expand Advanced.
Leave Upload to folder empty.

Before you select Upload, predict whether the portal will transfer only the chosen file or the entire local folder tree.

Select Upload to start the transfer.

You should see orders.csv at the root of migration-lab. The upload creates a block blob from the file you selected.

What Did the Upload Prove?

The empty Upload to folder value placed orders.csv at the container root. Only the selected file entered Azure.

The local archive content remains on your Windows device. The local reference content also remains there.

🙋‍♀️ Don't See the Uploaded Blob?

Confirm that the upload pane lists Documents\az900-storage-lab\active\orders.csv as the selected file.
Refresh the migration-lab container listing.
Reopen the upload pane if the previous transfer did not complete.

Help me troubleshoot this blob upload. The NextWork community can also help with environment-specific portal issues.

Compare the portal with the local folder

A migration check compares the intended source with the actual destination. This comparison makes the missing folder structure visible.

Return to Documents\az900-storage-lab in Windows File Explorer from earlier.
Confirm that active\orders.csv remains in the local folder.
Confirm that archive\policy.txt remains in the local folder.
Confirm that reference\storage-decision-card.txt remains in the local folder.

Before you inspect the container again, predict whether any archive or reference directory will appear in Azure.

Switch back to the migration-lab container in the Azure portal.
Inspect the blob list.

You should see orders.csv as the only uploaded blob. You should not see active, archive, or reference directories.

That shortfall is intentional. The manual action moved one selected file while the nested migration pack remained local.

You have proved where the manual workflow falls short. Next, Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer uses its Upload Folder operation to transfer the nested folder structure.

Transfer the Folder with Storage Explorer

Your portal upload proved that one block blob can reach the private Blob Storage container. The rest of the nested migration pack still exists only on Windows.

This step uses Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer's Upload Folder operation to copy the complete folder as block blobs. The Activities pane gives you visible proof that the transfer finished.

In this step, get ready to:

Connect Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer to your Azure subscription.
Confirm that Storage Explorer can read the private blob container.
Transfer the complete local folder with visible confirmation in Activities.

Connect Storage Explorer to your subscription

Microsoft Entra sign-in uses your Azure identity inside Storage Explorer. It is the primary connection path for this lab.

Press the Windows key to open Windows search.
Type Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer in the search field.
Press Enter to open the app.

Storage Explorer is now ready for your Azure connection.

Why Start with Microsoft Entra?

Microsoft Entra authorization uses your signed-in Azure identity. The normal path therefore avoids a full-access storage account access key.

Select View in the top menu.
Select Account Management.
Select Add an account....
Select Subscription.

Storage Explorer opens your default browser for the web sign-in flow.

Complete the web sign-in with the Azure account from earlier.
Return to Storage Explorer.
Select the Azure subscription that contains rg-az900-storage-lab.
Select Apply.

You should see staz900<unique> listed beneath your Azure subscription.

Confirm blob data access

Management access can make a storage account visible while data-layer permissions control whether its blobs open. This check reveals whether your current sign-in can read the private container.

Expand the staz900<unique> storage account.
Expand Blob Containers.
Open migration-lab.
Choose the tab that matches what Storage Explorer displays.

✔️ I can see orders.csv

Your Microsoft Entra connection has data access. The original orders.csv confirms that you are viewing the same private container from the portal.

ⓧ Blob data is unavailable

An access key grants full access to all data in the storage account. This fallback confines the key to the Storage Explorer connection flow.

Switch back to the Azure portal from earlier.
Expand Security + networking in the storage account menu.
Select Access keys.
Select Show keys.
Select Copy beside the key1 Key value.

The copied key is ready for the connection form. This is the only place you use it.

Return to Storage Explorer.
Select Connect.
Select Storage account.
Select Account name and key.
Enter the storage account name from earlier.
Paste the copied key into the account-key field.
Select Next.
Select Connect on the connection summary.

That completes the fallback. Storage Explorer now shows the storage account through direct account credentials.

Expand Blob Containers beneath the new connection.
Open migration-lab.

The migration-lab container should now show the original orders.csv blob.

Can't Use the Account Key?

Viewing the key requires list-key permission. Owner, Contributor, and Storage Account Key Operator Service Role include that permission.

Request equivalent list-key permission from your Azure administrator.

Help me resolve missing list-key permission.

Upload the complete migration folder

The Upload Folder operation preserves the relative folder structure as virtual directories inside the blob container. Selecting Documents\az900-storage-lab copies all three local branches in one transfer.

Select Upload in the migration-lab container from your access check.
Select Upload Folder.
Choose Documents\az900-storage-lab in the folder picker.
Set Blob type to Block blob.
Select Upload.

Before you inspect the result, do you expect the original top-level orders.csv to disappear or remain beside the transferred folders? Hold your prediction in mind.

Inspect the Activities pane.

You should see the folder upload marked complete.

Return to the migration-lab container's main pane.

You should see active, archive, and reference as virtual directories. The earlier top-level orders.csv remains beside them.

Folders Missing After Upload?

Confirm that the selected source path was Documents\az900-storage-lab.
Check the Activities pane for a failed folder-transfer entry.
Retry the upload after the account connection can open migration-lab.

Help me troubleshoot a missing Storage Explorer folder transfer.

That's the transfer gap closed: your complete nested migration pack is now visible in Blob Storage. Next, you'll turn the lab into a storage decision card you can use for AZ-900 scenarios.

Build the Storage Decision Card

Your complete folder now sits in migration-lab. The successful transfer proves that your folder workflow works.

A working transfer becomes useful when you can explain why each storage choice fits the workload. In this step, you will turn the five empty headings into a reusable decision guide.

In this step, get ready to:

Explain each Azure Storage service by workload.
Complete the storage-choice comparisons.
Publish the completed decision guide to the existing blob container.

Compare the storage services

The four branches in Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer show the storage services available inside one account. Each branch matches a different data shape.

Switch back to Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer from earlier.
Expand your storage account in the left navigation tree.
Inspect Blob Containers, File Shares, Queues, and Tables to identify the four services exposed by the account.
Return to Documents\az900-storage-lab in Windows File Explorer.
Double-click the reference folder.
Open storage-decision-card.txt in your default text editor by double-clicking it.
Select the lines from Services through Account types.
Replace the selection by pasting this complete section:

Services
Azure Blobs: unstructured text or binary objects and distributed access.
Azure Files: managed cloud file shares for cloud or on-premises use.
Azure Queues: asynchronous messages between application components.
Azure Tables: schemaless structured NoSQL key and attribute data.

Account types

Why These Services Differ

Azure Blobs stores unstructured objects for distributed access.
Azure Files provides managed file shares for cloud or on-premises use.
Azure Queues holds asynchronous messages between application components.
Azure Tables stores schemaless NoSQL records as keys with attributes.

Save storage-decision-card.txt by pressing Ctrl+S.
Review the Services section in your editor.

You should see four scenario descriptions directly below the Services heading.

Missing a Service Line?

Confirm that the section contains four separate service descriptions. Paste the block again if any line is missing.

Ask for help with the service section

Map account, tier, and redundancy choices

Account type sets the service mix. It also sets the performance profile.

Access tier expresses retrieval frequency. Redundancy expresses how Azure copies data.

Select the lines from Account types through Access tiers.
Replace the selection by pasting this account comparison:

Account types
Standard general-purpose v2: recommended mixed-service account for blobs, files, queues, and tables.
Premium block blobs: specialized low-latency or high-throughput account choice for block blobs.
Premium file shares: specialized low-latency or high-throughput account choice for file shares.
Premium page blobs: specialized low-latency or high-throughput account choice for page blobs.

Access tiers

What Do the Account Choices Capture?

Standard general-purpose v2 suits mixed storage workloads in one account.
Each Premium option concentrates performance on its named storage type.

Save storage-decision-card.txt by pressing Ctrl+S.
Review the Account types section in your editor.

You should see one mixed-service choice followed by three specialized Premium choices.

Account Section Misplaced?

Check that the account descriptions sit between the Account types heading and the Access tiers heading.

Ask for help arranging the account section

Your live account already uses Hot. The card records the cooler choices without changing the tier of your uploaded blobs.

Select the lines from Access tiers through Redundancy.
Replace the selection by pasting this tier comparison:

Access tiers
Hot: frequent online access.
Cool: infrequent online access.
Cold: rare online access with fast retrieval.
Archive: rare offline data when retrieval measured in hours is acceptable.

Redundancy

How Do the Tiers Differ?

Hot, Cool, and Cold keep data online.
Archive keeps rarely used data offline. Retrieval can take hours.

Save storage-decision-card.txt by pressing Ctrl+S.
Review the Access tiers section in your editor.

You should see four tiers ordered from frequent online access to rare offline storage.

Tier Section Out of Order?

Check that the section starts with Hot and ends with Archive. Restore the block if a tier moved under the wrong heading.

Ask for help fixing the tier section

Redundancy describes where Azure keeps copies of the data. Geo options extend protection into a secondary region.

Select the lines from Redundancy through Movement and migration tools.
Replace the selection by pasting this redundancy comparison:

Redundancy
LRS: one datacenter.
ZRS: three or more zones in one region.
GRS: LRS in the primary and secondary regions.
GZRS: zones in the primary plus a secondary region.
RA-GRS: GRS with secondary-region read access.
RA-GZRS: GZRS with secondary-region read access.

Movement and migration tools

How Does Redundancy Expand?

LRS keeps copies in one datacenter.
ZRS spreads copies across zones in one region.
GRS and GZRS add secondary-region protection.
RA-GRS and RA-GZRS permit reads from the secondary region.

Save storage-decision-card.txt by pressing Ctrl+S.
Review the Redundancy section in your editor.

You should see six choices that progress from one datacenter to readable secondary-region copies.

Redundancy Acronyms Missing?

Count the entries under Redundancy. Restore the section if you see fewer than six choices.

Ask for help checking the redundancy section

Match movement tools to scenarios

Migration tools differ by transfer scale. They also differ by the amount of automation a workload needs.

Select the Movement and migration tools heading.
Replace the selected heading by pasting this complete section:

Movement and migration tools
Azure Storage Explorer: occasional small transfers through a graphical interface.
AzCopy: fast, scriptable one-time or incremental transfers.
Azure File Sync: Windows Server file shares with Azure Files, local caching, and ongoing synchronization.
Azure Migrate: discovery, assessment, planning, and migration of servers, databases, web apps, virtual desktops, and attached workloads.
Azure Data Box: offline bulk movement when data volume or limited network connectivity makes online transfer impractical.

Why Match Tools to Scenarios?

Azure Storage Explorer fits occasional graphical transfers.
AzCopy fits fast scripted transfers.
Azure File Sync fits ongoing synchronization with Windows Server file shares.
Azure Migrate supports discovery through migration for attached workloads.
Azure Data Box fits offline bulk movement when online transfer is impractical.

Save storage-decision-card.txt by pressing Ctrl+S.
Review the Movement and migration tools section in your editor.

You should see five tools with a distinct transfer or migration scenario for each.

Movement Section Incomplete?

Count the tool descriptions below the final heading. Paste the section again if fewer than five descriptions appear.

Ask for help checking the movement section

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Great. Double-check that you saved storage-decision-card.txt before uploading it.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full code

Compare your complete decision card with this reference:

Services
Azure Blobs: unstructured text or binary objects and distributed access.
Azure Files: managed cloud file shares for cloud or on-premises use.
Azure Queues: asynchronous messages between application components.
Azure Tables: schemaless structured NoSQL key and attribute data.

Account types
Standard general-purpose v2: recommended mixed-service account for blobs, files, queues, and tables.
Premium block blobs: specialized low-latency or high-throughput account choice for block blobs.
Premium file shares: specialized low-latency or high-throughput account choice for file shares.
Premium page blobs: specialized low-latency or high-throughput account choice for page blobs.

Access tiers
Hot: frequent online access.
Cool: infrequent online access.
Cold: rare online access with fast retrieval.
Archive: rare offline data when retrieval measured in hours is acceptable.

Redundancy
LRS: one datacenter.
ZRS: three or more zones in one region.
GRS: LRS in the primary and secondary regions.
GZRS: zones in the primary plus a secondary region.
RA-GRS: GRS with secondary-region read access.
RA-GZRS: GZRS with secondary-region read access.

Movement and migration tools
Azure Storage Explorer: occasional small transfers through a graphical interface.
AzCopy: fast, scriptable one-time or incremental transfers.
Azure File Sync: Windows Server file shares with Azure Files, local caching, and ongoing synchronization.
Azure Migrate: discovery, assessment, planning, and migration of servers, databases, web apps, virtual desktops, and attached workloads.
Azure Data Box: offline bulk movement when data volume or limited network connectivity makes online transfer impractical.

How the Card Is Organized

Blank lines separate the five decision categories. Each category moves from a label to a scenario-based explanation.

Return to the migration-lab container in Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer.
Select Upload in the container toolbar.
Select Upload Files.
Choose Documents\az900-storage-lab\reference\storage-decision-card.txt.
Enter decisions as the destination virtual directory.
Select Upload to start the transfer.

The Activities pane should show the file upload as complete.

Upload Not Completing?

Confirm that you selected the file inside the local reference folder. Check that the destination virtual directory is decisions.

Ask for help with the decision-card upload

Before you open the uploaded file, which five headings do you expect to see? Keep your prediction in mind.

Open the decisions virtual directory in migration-lab.
Open storage-decision-card.txt from the container pane.

You should see all five headings in the uploaded file. The movement section names Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer, AzCopy, Azure File Sync, Azure Migrate, and Azure Data Box with a distinct scenario for each.

You have turned a successful upload into a storage decision you can defend.

Secret mission

Compare Blob Storage with Azure Files

Copy the same active-data folder into an Azure file share. Then update your decision card to explain when a managed shared file system fits better than object storage.

Clean Up Your Resources

Choose whether to keep the lab, pause it for later, or delete it completely. Azure Storage is usage-based, so deployed resources can continue to generate charges.

Cost warning

This lab uses tiny files with LRS. Azure usage is not guaranteed to be free.

Keeping the storage account can continue to produce capacity or transaction charges. Choose Pause or Delete if you no longer need the cloud data.

Resources you used:

An Azure resource group named rg-az900-storage-lab.
A Standard general-purpose v2 storage account named staz900<unique>. It uses the Hot access tier with LRS redundancy.
A private Blob Storage container named migration-lab. It contains the transferred folder plus the updated decision card.
An Azure Files share named team-share. It contains the uploaded active folder.
The local Windows folder Documents\az900-storage-lab.

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you are still using the storage lab for revision or demonstrations.

Leave rg-az900-storage-lab in place.
Leave staz900<unique> deployed.
Keep migration-lab available for Blob Storage practice.
Keep team-share available for Azure Files comparisons.
Review your Azure usage-based costs periodically.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Remove the stored lab data to reduce ongoing storage use. Keep the empty storage account ready for later practice.

This clears the uploaded lab data. Your local source folder stays available for rebuilding it.

Save any screenshots or downloaded evidence you want to keep.
In Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer, expand Blob Containers beneath staz900<unique>.
Use the context menu for migration-lab to delete the container.
Complete the deletion confirmation shown by Storage Explorer.
Expand File Shares beneath staz900<unique>.
Use the context menu for team-share to delete the file share.
Complete the deletion confirmation shown by Storage Explorer.
Refresh the storage account.

You should no longer see migration-lab under Blob Containers. You should no longer see team-share under File Shares.

The empty storage account stays available for later. Its resource group remains in place.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project resources if you want to start fresh. This clears the cloud lab plus its local source folder.

Resource-group deletion is irreversible. Your screenshots and downloaded evidence remain untouched.

Save any evidence you want to keep.
Return to the Azure portal session from earlier.
Open rg-az900-storage-lab.
Select Delete resource group.
Type rg-az900-storage-lab to confirm the resource-group name.
Complete the deletion.

Resource-group deletion can take some time. Azure removes the storage account plus every cloud resource inside the group.

Search for rg-az900-storage-lab in the Azure portal after deletion finishes.

You should no longer find the resource group. This confirms that staz900<unique>, migration-lab, and team-share were removed with it.

Return to Documents in Windows File Explorer.
Select the az900-storage-lab folder.
Use the folder's context menu to delete it.
Refresh the Documents view.

You should no longer see Documents\az900-storage-lab.

Nice Work!

You did it! Your Azure Storage decision lab now turns storage choices into results you can inspect.

You've learned how to:

Create a Standard general-purpose v2 account with LRS. Use its private Blob Storage container to inspect a complete migration folder.
Experience the limit of a one-file portal upload. Use Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer to preserve the nested Windows folder in one transfer.
Build a storage decision card that turns each AZ-900 scenario into one defensible Azure choice.
Secret Mission: Copy the active folder into team-share with Azure Files. Use the result to explain when a managed shared file system fits better than object storage.

Ready to quiz yourself?