- A
Replace the metric alert with a diagnostic setting and store the data in Log Analytics.
Why wrong: Diagnostic settings collect data; they do not suppress notifications during a time window.
- B
Create an alert processing rule that suppresses notifications outside business hours.
An alert processing rule lets you control how alerts are handled without disabling the alert condition itself. That means the metric alert can keep evaluating continuously for history and state changes, while notifications are suppressed outside the approved business hours. This cleanly separates detection from delivery, which is exactly what the requirement describes.
- C
Lower the alert threshold so fewer alerts occur during the week.
Why wrong: Changing thresholds alters detection logic, not the notification schedule, and can hide legitimate issues.
- D
Use an autoscale profile instead of an alert rule.
Why wrong: Autoscale can respond to demand, but it does not provide a business-hours notification filter for an existing alert.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to create an alert processing rule that suppresses notifications outside business hours. This works because alert processing rules, formerly known as action rules, allow you to apply a suppression action on a schedule without modifying the underlying metric alert rule itself—the alert continues evaluating 24/7, but email notifications are blocked during defined off-hours like evenings and weekends. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to decouple alert evaluation from notification delivery, a common trap being that candidates mistakenly try to disable the alert or adjust its condition, which would stop monitoring entirely. Remember, the alert must keep firing; only the action group’s notification should be silenced. A useful memory tip is “suppress the action, not the alert”—think of it as muting the ringer on a phone that still receives calls.
AZ-104 Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of monitor and maintain azure resources. 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 team already has a metric alert on a production VM. The alert should continue evaluating 24/7, but email notifications must be sent only Monday through Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 local time. What should the administrator add or change?
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 an alert processing rule that suppresses notifications outside business hours.
Option B is correct because an alert processing rule (formerly action rule) can suppress notifications for a metric alert based on a schedule. By creating a rule with a suppression action that applies outside business hours (e.g., 18:00 to 08:00 and weekends), the alert continues to evaluate and fire, but email notifications are blocked during those times. This meets the requirement without altering the alert rule itself.
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.
- ✗
Replace the metric alert with a diagnostic setting and store the data in Log Analytics.
Why it's wrong here
Diagnostic settings collect data; they do not suppress notifications during a time window.
- ✓
Create an alert processing rule that suppresses notifications outside business hours.
Why this is correct
An alert processing rule lets you control how alerts are handled without disabling the alert condition itself. That means the metric alert can keep evaluating continuously for history and state changes, while notifications are suppressed outside the approved business hours. This cleanly separates detection from delivery, which is exactly what the requirement describes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Lower the alert threshold so fewer alerts occur during the week.
Why it's wrong here
Changing thresholds alters detection logic, not the notification schedule, and can hide legitimate issues.
- ✗
Use an autoscale profile instead of an alert rule.
Why it's wrong here
Autoscale can respond to demand, but it does not provide a business-hours notification filter for an existing alert.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse alert processing rules (which modify actions after an alert fires) with alert rules themselves, or incorrectly assume that changing thresholds or using diagnostic settings can control notification timing.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Alert processing rules operate at the Azure Monitor service level, intercepting fired alerts before they reach action groups. They support conditions like 'alert context' (e.g., severity) and 'schedule' (recurrence with time zones), allowing suppression or modification of actions without affecting the alert rule's evaluation logic. In a real-world scenario, you might combine a suppression rule with a separate action group for critical alerts that bypass the schedule, ensuring 24/7 coverage for high-severity incidents.
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.
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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 an alert processing rule that suppresses notifications outside business hours. — Option B is correct because an alert processing rule (formerly action rule) can suppress notifications for a metric alert based on a schedule. By creating a rule with a suppression action that applies outside business hours (e.g., 18:00 to 08:00 and weekends), the alert continues to evaluate and fire, but email notifications are blocked during those times. This meets the requirement without altering the alert rule itself.
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
1 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 production VM must generate an alert when average CPU exceeds 80 percent for 10 minutes. The alert must be evaluated continuously, but email notifications should be suppressed outside 08:00 to 18:00 on weekdays. What should the administrator configure?
hard- A.A log query alert only, with the query scheduled to run during business hours
- ✓ B.A metric alert rule with an action group and an alert processing rule that suppresses actions outside business hours
- C.A diagnostic setting that sends CPU logs to a storage account and a Logic App for email delivery
- D.An action group with an email receiver and a virtual machine extension to pause the workload outside business hours
Why B: Option B is correct because it combines a metric alert rule (which continuously evaluates the CPU threshold) with an alert processing rule that suppresses notifications outside business hours. The metric alert rule evaluates every minute by default, meeting the 'continuously evaluated' requirement, while the alert processing rule (formerly action rule) allows you to suppress actions based on a schedule without altering the alert rule itself.
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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