- A
Create a log search alert on the VM performance data and attach a resource lock.
Why wrong: Log search alerts can work, but a lock only prevents changes and does not notify anyone when CPU rises.
- B
Create a metric alert on Percentage CPU and associate an action group with email and SMS receivers.
Metric alerts are the best fit for near real-time threshold monitoring of Azure platform metrics such as CPU. An action group delivers the notification channels, such as email and SMS, when the alert fires. This design meets both parts of the requirement: detect sustained CPU pressure and notify the operations team automatically without needing log ingestion or manual polling.
- C
Assign an Azure Policy definition to the VM to stop it when CPU exceeds the threshold.
Why wrong: Azure Policy can audit or enforce configuration, but it does not monitor CPU in real time or send operational alerts.
- D
Enable diagnostic settings on the VM and send the data only to a storage account.
Why wrong: Diagnostic settings collect telemetry, but sending data only to storage does not create an alert or route notifications.
AZ-104 Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of monitor and maintain azure resources. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A production virtual machine is experiencing intermittent performance spikes. The operations team wants an alert when average CPU usage stays above 80 percent for 10 minutes and wants email and SMS notifications sent automatically. What should the administrator configure in Azure Monitor?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Create a metric alert on Percentage CPU and associate an action group with email and SMS receivers.
Option B is correct because Azure Monitor metric alerts can evaluate real-time performance counters like Percentage CPU against a threshold (e.g., 80%) over a specified duration (e.g., 10 minutes). By associating an action group with email and SMS receivers, the alert automatically triggers the desired notifications without requiring log ingestion or complex queries.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a log search alert on the VM performance data and attach a resource lock.
Why it's wrong here
Log search alerts can work, but a lock only prevents changes and does not notify anyone when CPU rises.
- ✓
Create a metric alert on Percentage CPU and associate an action group with email and SMS receivers.
Why this is correct
Metric alerts are the best fit for near real-time threshold monitoring of Azure platform metrics such as CPU. An action group delivers the notification channels, such as email and SMS, when the alert fires. This design meets both parts of the requirement: detect sustained CPU pressure and notify the operations team automatically without needing log ingestion or manual polling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Assign an Azure Policy definition to the VM to stop it when CPU exceeds the threshold.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Policy can audit or enforce configuration, but it does not monitor CPU in real time or send operational alerts.
- ✗
Enable diagnostic settings on the VM and send the data only to a storage account.
Why it's wrong here
Diagnostic settings collect telemetry, but sending data only to storage does not create an alert or route notifications.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse metric alerts (which evaluate live performance counters) with log search alerts (which require log ingestion and are slower), or mistakenly think Azure Policy can react to performance metrics instead of enforcing configuration rules.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Metric alerts in Azure Monitor use a time-series evaluation engine that aggregates Percentage CPU over a sliding window (e.g., 10 minutes) using the 'Average' aggregation. The alert fires only when the condition is met consistently across all data points in the window, avoiding false positives from brief spikes. Action groups support multiple notification channels (email, SMS, webhook, ITSM) and can be reused across multiple alerts for centralized management.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources — This question tests Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a metric alert on Percentage CPU and associate an action group with email and SMS receivers. — Option B is correct because Azure Monitor metric alerts can evaluate real-time performance counters like Percentage CPU against a threshold (e.g., 80%) over a specified duration (e.g., 10 minutes). By associating an action group with email and SMS receivers, the alert automatically triggers the desired notifications without requiring log ingestion or complex queries.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-104 exam.
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