AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 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?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
E-series
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.
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.
✗
B-series
Why it's wrong here
B-series is burstable and better for variable light workloads, not steady memory-heavy analytics.
✗
D-series
Why it's wrong here
D-series is a balanced general-purpose family, but it is not optimized primarily for memory capacity.
✗
F-series
Why it's wrong here
F-series emphasizes compute, which is less suitable when memory is the main sizing concern.
✓
E-series
Why this is correct
E-series provides memory-optimized VM sizes that better match workloads needing high RAM relative to CPU.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often default to D-series (general purpose) for any 'moderate CPU' workload, overlooking the specific memory requirement that dictates the need for a memory-optimized family like E-series.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure VM families are categorized by their vCPU-to-memory ratio: E-series offers 8–16 GiB per vCPU, making it ideal for memory-intensive workloads like SAP HANA or large in-memory databases. The E8s_v3, for example, provides 8 vCPUs and 64 GiB RAM exactly matching the requirement. Under the hood, E-series VMs use Intel Xeon processors with large L3 caches and support for premium SSD storage, optimizing memory bandwidth for analytics.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
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: E-series — 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.
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.
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Question Discussion
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