- A
Snapshot
A snapshot creates a point-in-time copy of a managed disk and can be used to restore or create a new disk later.
- B
Availability set
Why wrong: An availability set improves VM resilience, but it does not capture disk contents.
- C
Azure Policy assignment
Why wrong: Policy can enforce rules, but it does not create a disk copy for recovery.
- D
Virtual network peering
Why wrong: Peering connects networks, but it has nothing to do with preserving disk state.
Question 815 of 1,170
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.
Before changing a production VM's data disk, you want a point-in-time copy that can be restored later without affecting the VM. What should you create?
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
✓
Snapshot
A snapshot captures a point-in-time, read-only copy of a managed or unmanaged disk. It can be used to create a new disk or restore the original disk without affecting the running VM, making it the correct choice for a non-disruptive backup before a data disk change.
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.
- ✓
Snapshot
Why this is correct
A snapshot creates a point-in-time copy of a managed disk and can be used to restore or create a new disk later.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Availability set
Why it's wrong here
An availability set improves VM resilience, but it does not capture disk contents.
When this WOULD be correct
When the question asks for a solution to ensure high availability of a multi-VM application during planned or unplanned maintenance events, an availability set is the correct answer.
- ✗
Azure Policy assignment
Why it's wrong here
Policy can enforce rules, but it does not create a disk copy for recovery.
When this WOULD be correct
An exam question might ask: 'You need to ensure that all VMs in a subscription are deployed only in specific regions. What should you create?' In that case, an Azure Policy assignment with a location constraint would be the correct answer.
- ✗
Virtual network peering
Why it's wrong here
Peering connects networks, but it has nothing to do with preserving disk state.
When this WOULD be correct
You need to enable communication between two virtual networks in different regions with low latency and no intermediate hops. A question might ask: 'You have VNets in two Azure regions and need to connect them securely with Microsoft backbone. What should you create?'
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓SnapshotCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
A snapshot creates a point-in-time copy of a managed disk and can be used to restore or create a new disk later.
✗Availability setWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
An availability set is a logical grouping of VMs to ensure high availability during platform updates and failures; it does not provide point-in-time copies of disks.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the question asks for a solution to ensure high availability of a multi-VM application during planned or unplanned maintenance events, an availability set is the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'availability' with 'backup' or think that an availability set provides data redundancy, but it only protects against infrastructure failures, not data loss.
✗Azure Policy assignmentWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Azure Policy assignment enforces compliance rules on resources, but it does not create a point-in-time copy of a disk. It cannot be used to restore a VM's data disk to a previous state.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An exam question might ask: 'You need to ensure that all VMs in a subscription are deployed only in specific regions. What should you create?' In that case, an Azure Policy assignment with a location constraint would be the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse policy with backup or snapshot mechanisms, thinking that a policy can capture a state of resources, or they may overthink the question and assume a governance tool is needed before making changes.
✗Virtual network peeringWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Virtual network peering connects two virtual networks, enabling traffic between them. It does not create a point-in-time copy of a data disk or provide any backup/restore capability for VM disks.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
You need to enable communication between two virtual networks in different regions with low latency and no intermediate hops. A question might ask: 'You have VNets in two Azure regions and need to connect them securely with Microsoft backbone. What should you create?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'peering' with 'copying' or think that network-level isolation is needed before taking a snapshot, but the question specifically asks for a point-in-time copy, not a network configuration.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse a snapshot with a backup vault or recovery services vault, but the question specifically asks for a point-in-time copy that does not affect the running VM, and only a snapshot meets that requirement without requiring a backup policy or agent.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When you take a snapshot of a managed disk, Azure creates a read-only copy of the disk at that instant, using a differential snapshot mechanism that only stores changes since the last snapshot (if incremental snapshots are enabled). This allows you to later create a new managed disk from the snapshot and attach it to the same or a different VM, effectively restoring the data without downtime for the original VM. In a real-world scenario, you might snapshot a data disk before applying a critical patch, then if the patch fails, you can detach the current disk and attach a new disk created from the snapshot to roll back.
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?
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: Snapshot — A snapshot captures a point-in-time, read-only copy of a managed or unmanaged disk. It can be used to create a new disk or restore the original disk without affecting the running VM, making it the correct choice for a non-disruptive backup before a data disk change.
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 →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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