- A
A managed disk snapshot
A snapshot captures a point-in-time copy of a managed disk. It is the right choice when you want a recoverable copy before making changes. You can create it for an OS disk or data disk and use it later to restore or create a new disk if the original change does not work as expected.
- B
An availability set
Why wrong: An availability set improves service availability, but it does not create a copy of a disk for rollback purposes.
- C
A load balancer backend pool
Why wrong: A backend pool distributes traffic to VMs, but it does not preserve disk contents or create recovery copies.
- D
A resource lock
Why wrong: A lock can prevent deletion or modification, but it does not capture data in a point-in-time disk image.
Question 1,031 of 1,170
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. 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 managed data disk on a production VM, you want a point-in-time copy that you can keep and restore later if needed. 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
✓
A managed disk snapshot
A managed disk snapshot captures a point-in-time, read-only copy of a managed disk. You can use it to restore the VM to that exact state by creating a new disk from the snapshot and attaching it to the VM. Snapshots are independent of the source disk's lifecycle, so you can keep them indefinitely for backup or recovery purposes.
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.
- ✓
A managed disk snapshot
Why this is correct
A snapshot captures a point-in-time copy of a managed disk. It is the right choice when you want a recoverable copy before making changes. You can create it for an OS disk or data disk and use it later to restore or create a new disk if the original change does not work as expected.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
An availability set
Why it's wrong here
An availability set improves service availability, but it does not create a copy of a disk for rollback purposes.
When this WOULD be correct
When the question asks for a feature that ensures VMs are distributed across fault domains and update domains to maintain availability during Azure maintenance events, an availability set is the correct answer.
- ✗
A load balancer backend pool
Why it's wrong here
A backend pool distributes traffic to VMs, but it does not preserve disk contents or create recovery copies.
When this WOULD be correct
When the question asks: 'You need to ensure that incoming traffic to a set of VMs is distributed evenly. What should you configure?' In that context, a load balancer backend pool is the correct answer.
- ✗
A resource lock
Why it's wrong here
A lock can prevent deletion or modification, but it does not capture data in a point-in-time disk image.
When this WOULD be correct
A resource lock would be correct if the question asked: 'You want to prevent accidental deletion of a critical VM. What should you create?' In that scenario, a resource lock (e.g., CanNotDelete) is the appropriate solution.
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.
✓A managed disk snapshotCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
A snapshot captures a point-in-time copy of a managed disk. It is the right choice when you want a recoverable copy before making changes. You can create it for an OS disk or data disk and use it later to restore or create a new disk if the original change does not work as expected.
✗An 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 planned or unplanned maintenance, not a mechanism for creating point-in-time copies of disks.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the question asks for a feature that ensures VMs are distributed across fault domains and update domains to maintain availability during Azure 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 or snapshots, misunderstanding its purpose as a high-availability construct.
✗A load balancer backend poolWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A load balancer backend pool is a configuration for distributing traffic across VMs, not a mechanism for creating point-in-time copies of a managed disk. It cannot be used to restore a disk to a previous state.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the question asks: 'You need to ensure that incoming traffic to a set of VMs is distributed evenly. What should you configure?' In that context, a load balancer backend pool is the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the concept of 'backup' with 'load balancing' or think that a backend pool provides redundancy that could serve as a restore point, misunderstanding the purpose of load balancers.
✗A resource lockWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A resource lock prevents accidental deletion or modification of a resource, but it does not create a point-in-time copy of a managed disk. The question specifically requires a copy that can be restored later, which only a snapshot provides.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A resource lock would be correct if the question asked: 'You want to prevent accidental deletion of a critical VM. What should you create?' In that scenario, a resource lock (e.g., CanNotDelete) is the appropriate solution.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'protecting' a resource with 'backing it up.' A resource lock seems like a safety measure, but it does not create a recoverable copy, leading to this incorrect choice.
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 resource lock (which protects against deletion but does not create a copy) with a backup mechanism, or think an availability set provides data redundancy, when in fact only a snapshot or backup service captures a point-in-time copy of the disk.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When you create a snapshot of a managed disk, Azure uses a differential copy mechanism that initially captures only the changed blocks since the last snapshot (if incremental snapshots are enabled), reducing storage costs and creation time. Snapshots are stored as managed resources in the same region and can be used to create new managed disks, which can then be attached to VMs for restore or data analysis. For production VMs, it is recommended to stop the VM or ensure application-consistent snapshots to avoid data corruption from in-flight writes.
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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Implement and Manage Storage — This question tests Implement and Manage Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: A managed disk snapshot — A managed disk snapshot captures a point-in-time, read-only copy of a managed disk. You can use it to restore the VM to that exact state by creating a new disk from the snapshot and attaching it to the VM. Snapshots are independent of the source disk's lifecycle, so you can keep them indefinitely for backup or recovery purposes.
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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