- A
Create a metric alert rule on the VM CPU percentage.
A metric alert evaluates the VM CPU metric continuously and can fire when the threshold and duration are met.
- B
Add an action group that sends email and invokes the Azure Function.
An action group defines the notification and automation targets that run when the alert fires.
- C
Enable a diagnostic setting on the VM without creating an alert rule.
Why wrong: Diagnostic settings collect telemetry, but they do not create alert conditions or trigger notifications by themselves.
- D
Create a Log Analytics workspace and rely on manual queries only.
Why wrong: A workspace stores logs for later analysis, but it does not automatically send alerts or start functions.
- E
Apply a resource lock so CPU usage changes are blocked.
Why wrong: Resource locks control management operations, not runtime performance metrics such as CPU utilization.
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 must trigger an immediate notification whenever average CPU stays above 85 percent for 15 minutes, and the same event must also start an Azure Function that opens an incident ticket. Which two Azure Monitor components should you configure? Select two.
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 rule on the VM CPU percentage.
A metric alert rule on the VM CPU percentage is correct because it monitors the specific metric (Percentage CPU) and triggers when the average exceeds 85% for 15 minutes, meeting the notification requirement. This rule evaluates the metric at regular intervals and fires when the condition is met, which is the standard Azure Monitor approach for real-time metric-based alerts.
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 metric alert rule on the VM CPU percentage.
- ✓
Add an action group that sends email and invokes the Azure Function.
Why this is correct
An action group defines the notification and automation targets that run when the alert fires.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable a diagnostic setting on the VM without creating an alert rule.
Why it's wrong here
Diagnostic settings collect telemetry, but they do not create alert conditions or trigger notifications by themselves.
- ✗
Create a Log Analytics workspace and rely on manual queries only.
Why it's wrong here
A workspace stores logs for later analysis, but it does not automatically send alerts or start functions.
- ✗
Apply a resource lock so CPU usage changes are blocked.
Why it's wrong here
Resource locks control management operations, not runtime performance metrics such as CPU utilization.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates might think a diagnostic setting alone can trigger alerts, but diagnostic settings only forward data and do not evaluate conditions, so an alert rule is always required for threshold-based notifications.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Metric alert rules in Azure Monitor use a sliding window of 15 minutes (the aggregation granularity) to evaluate the average CPU percentage against the threshold of 85%. The action group attached to the alert rule handles the notification and automation: it can send email via SMTP and invoke an Azure Function via an HTTP trigger (webhook), which then opens an incident ticket. This decouples alert evaluation from action execution, allowing flexible response workflows.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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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Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources — study guide chapter
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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 rule on the VM CPU percentage. — A metric alert rule on the VM CPU percentage is correct because it monitors the specific metric (Percentage CPU) and triggers when the average exceeds 85% for 15 minutes, meeting the notification requirement. This rule evaluates the metric at regular intervals and fires when the condition is met, which is the standard Azure Monitor approach for real-time metric-based alerts.
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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