- A
Memory-optimized VM family
Memory-optimized sizes are designed for workloads that need a higher memory-to-vCPU ratio than general-purpose sizes. They are a practical fit for analytics engines, large caches, and in-memory databases where RAM is the main constraint. Choosing this family helps the team meet the workload requirement without paying for unnecessary specialized features that do not address the sizing need.
- B
Burstable VM family
Why wrong: Burstable sizes are intended for light workloads with occasional CPU spikes, not sustained memory-heavy processing.
- C
Compute-optimized VM family
Why wrong: Compute-optimized sizes prioritize CPU performance, which is less important than memory for this workload.
- D
Storage-optimized VM family
Why wrong: Storage-optimized sizes focus on high disk throughput and IOPS rather than the memory capacity required here.
Quick Answer
The answer is the memory-optimized VM family, such as the Azure E-series, because these families are specifically engineered for memory-heavy analytics workloads that demand a high memory-to-vCPU ratio. With a requirement of 64 GiB of RAM for 8 vCPUs, you get an 8:1 ratio, which perfectly matches the memory-optimized profile designed to keep large datasets entirely in RAM for low-latency processing. On the AZ-104 exam, this concept tests your ability to match workload characteristics to the correct VM family, often appearing in scenario-based questions where a trap is choosing a general-purpose family like the D-series, which offers a lower memory ratio. A common memory tip is to associate "memory-heavy" with "E for Extra RAM" or think of the E-series as "Enterprise memory" for analytics.
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 reporting server will run an in-memory analytics application that needs 8 vCPUs and 64 GiB of RAM. The administrator wants a VM family that is a good fit for memory-heavy workloads. Which VM family should be chosen?
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
Memory-optimized VM family
Memory-optimized VM families (e.g., Azure E-series) are designed for workloads that require a high memory-to-vCPU ratio, such as in-memory analytics applications. The requirement of 64 GiB of RAM for 8 vCPUs (8:1 ratio) aligns with the memory-optimized profile, which offers up to 8 GiB per vCPU or more, ensuring the application's data fits entirely in RAM for low-latency processing.
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.
- ✓
Memory-optimized VM family
Why this is correct
Memory-optimized sizes are designed for workloads that need a higher memory-to-vCPU ratio than general-purpose sizes. They are a practical fit for analytics engines, large caches, and in-memory databases where RAM is the main constraint. Choosing this family helps the team meet the workload requirement without paying for unnecessary specialized features that do not address the sizing need.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Burstable VM family
Why it's wrong here
Burstable sizes are intended for light workloads with occasional CPU spikes, not sustained memory-heavy processing.
- ✗
Compute-optimized VM family
Why it's wrong here
Compute-optimized sizes prioritize CPU performance, which is less important than memory for this workload.
- ✗
Storage-optimized VM family
Why it's wrong here
Storage-optimized sizes focus on high disk throughput and IOPS rather than the memory capacity required here.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'memory-heavy' with 'compute-heavy' and choose compute-optimized VMs, overlooking the specific memory-to-vCPU ratio required for in-memory analytics.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Memory-optimized VMs in Azure, such as the E-series, leverage Intel Xeon processors and support Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory in some configurations, enabling large memory capacities (up to 432 GiB in E32s_v5) with high memory bandwidth. For in-memory analytics, the key metric is the memory-to-vCPU ratio; the E-series provides up to 8 GiB per vCPU, while the M-series (also memory-optimized) can offer up to 14 GiB per vCPU for even larger workloads. Under the hood, these VMs use hyper-threading and NUMA-aware memory allocation to minimize latency, which is critical for real-time data processing.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — This question tests Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Memory-optimized VM family — Memory-optimized VM families (e.g., Azure E-series) are designed for workloads that require a high memory-to-vCPU ratio, such as in-memory analytics applications. The requirement of 64 GiB of RAM for 8 vCPUs (8:1 ratio) aligns with the memory-optimized profile, which offers up to 8 GiB per vCPU or more, ensuring the application's data fits entirely in RAM for low-latency processing.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on AZ-104
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A reporting server VM will run an analytics engine that uses a large in-memory cache. Required minimums are 8 vCPUs and 64 GiB of RAM, and the workload benefits more from memory than from extra compute. Which Azure VM series is the best fit?
medium- A.B-series, because burstable credits handle temporary spikes economically
- B.D-series, because it balances general-purpose CPU and memory
- ✓ C.E-series, because it provides memory-optimized sizing for data-intensive workloads
- D.F-series, because it is optimized for high CPU throughput
Why C: The E-series (specifically Ev3, Esv3, or Ebsv5) is memory-optimized, offering the highest memory-to-vCPU ratio among Azure general-purpose families. With a requirement of 64 GiB RAM and only 8 vCPUs, the workload benefits more from memory than compute, making the E-series the best fit. D-series provides balanced ratios but not the memory density needed, while F-series and B-series are compute- or burst-oriented and lack sufficient memory per vCPU.
Variation 2. A reporting server will run an analytics engine that needs 8 vCPUs and 64 GiB of RAM. Average CPU use is expected to stay moderate, but the workload is memory heavy and should not use a burstable SKU. Which two deployment choices best align with the requirement? Select two.
hard- ✓ A.Select a memory-optimized VM family.
- ✓ B.Choose a size with at least 8 vCPUs and 64 GiB of RAM.
- C.Choose a burstable B-series size to lower cost.
- D.Pick a compute-optimized F-series size because CPU use is only moderate.
- E.Select the smallest VM size that supports managed disks.
Why A: Option A is correct because the workload is memory heavy, and memory-optimized VM families (e.g., E-series) are designed with a higher memory-to-vCPU ratio to handle such workloads efficiently. Option B is correct because the requirement explicitly states 8 vCPUs and 64 GiB of RAM, so selecting a size that meets these exact specifications is necessary, regardless of family, as long as it is not burstable.
Variation 3. A reporting server will run an in-memory analytics workload that needs 8 vCPUs and 64 GiB RAM. CPU usage is expected to stay moderate, but the application benefits most from memory capacity. Which VM family should the administrator choose as the starting point?
medium- A.B-series
- B.D-series
- C.F-series
- ✓ D.E-series
Why D: The E-series (memory-optimized) VM family is designed for in-memory analytics workloads that require high memory-to-CPU ratios. With 8 vCPUs and 64 GiB RAM, the workload demands 8 GiB per vCPU, which aligns with E-series specifications (typically 8–16 GiB per vCPU). D-series offers a balanced ratio (4 GiB per vCPU) and would not provide sufficient memory capacity for this workload.
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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