AZ-104 Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources Practice Question
Exhibit
Azure Monitor > Alerts Alert rule: cpu-prod-vm Scope: /subscriptions/1234/resourceGroups/rg-prod/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/vm01 Condition: Average Percentage CPU > 80 for 5 minutes Evaluation frequency: 1 minute Actions: None Status: Enabled
Based on the exhibit, the alert rule is firing, but the operations team is not receiving any notification. What should you change to make the alert send an email when the condition is met?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume increasing evaluation frequency or moving resources will fix notification delivery, but the core requirement is that an action group must be attached to the alert rule to define the notification channel.
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
✓
Attach an action group that includes the required email recipient.
An alert rule in Azure Monitor requires an action group to define the notification actions (e.g., email, SMS) when the alert fires. Without an action group attached to the alert rule, no notifications are sent, even if the condition is met. Option B correctly identifies that attaching an action group containing the required email recipient will enable email notifications.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the evaluation frequency to 15 minutes so Azure sends a summary notification.
Why it's wrong here
A longer evaluation frequency would reduce how often the rule checks the metric. It would not create a notification target, so the team would still not receive email when the alert fires.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question were 'The alert fires too slowly; what should you change to get faster notifications?', increasing evaluation frequency would be correct to reduce the time between condition checks.
- ✓
Attach an action group that includes the required email recipient.
Why this is correct
Azure Monitor alerts need an action group to deliver notifications or trigger automation. In this case the rule is already evaluating correctly, but no action is configured, so the alert has nowhere to send the notification. Attaching an action group with the operations email address fixes the issue without changing the threshold or scope.
- ✗
Create a diagnostic setting on the virtual machine and send logs to a storage account.
Why it's wrong here
Diagnostic settings are for exporting resource logs and metrics to destinations such as Log Analytics, storage, or Event Hubs. They do not by themselves create alert notifications for a metric threshold.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question asked: 'You need to collect and store VM performance logs for compliance auditing. What should you do?' In that scenario, a diagnostic setting sending logs to a storage account is appropriate.
- ✗
Move the virtual machine into a different resource group so the alert can notify the team.
Why it's wrong here
Resource group placement does not control whether an alert sends email. Alerts are driven by the rule, its condition, and the attached action group, not by which resource group contains the VM.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question were about resolving a resource conflict (e.g., a policy or role assignment preventing alert creation) or if the alert rule needed to be scoped to a specific resource group for organizational management.
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.
✓Attach an action group that includes the required email recipient.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Azure Monitor alerts need an action group to deliver notifications or trigger automation. In this case the rule is already evaluating correctly, but no action is configured, so the alert has nowhere to send the notification. Attaching an action group with the operations email address fixes the issue without changing the threshold or scope.
✗Increase the evaluation frequency to 15 minutes so Azure sends a summary notification.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Increasing evaluation frequency does not add email notification capability; the alert rule lacks an action group, which is required to send emails.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question were 'The alert fires too slowly; what should you change to get faster notifications?', increasing evaluation frequency would be correct to reduce the time between condition checks.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse evaluation frequency with notification delivery, thinking more frequent evaluations will trigger email sending, but email requires an action group.
✗Create a diagnostic setting on the virtual machine and send logs to a storage account.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Creating a diagnostic setting on the virtual machine and sending logs to a storage account does not configure notifications; it only archives or streams logs. The alert rule already fires, but notifications require an action group with email recipients.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question asked: 'You need to collect and store VM performance logs for compliance auditing. What should you do?' In that scenario, a diagnostic setting sending logs to a storage account is appropriate.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse diagnostic settings with alert notifications, thinking that sending logs to storage will somehow trigger an email, or they may believe that logging is a prerequisite for alerting.
✗Move the virtual machine into a different resource group so the alert can notify the team.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Moving the virtual machine to a different resource group does not affect alert notifications; action groups are independent of resource group membership and must be explicitly attached to the alert rule.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question were about resolving a resource conflict (e.g., a policy or role assignment preventing alert creation) or if the alert rule needed to be scoped to a specific resource group for organizational management.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly believe that resource group membership controls alert delivery, or that moving resources can fix notification issues without understanding the role of action groups.
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?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managed Identities for Azure Resources
Key term
Action group
An Action group is a collection of notification and automation settings that defines how an Azure Monitor alert responds when triggered, such as who gets emailed, which phone numbers get called, or which automated tasks run.
Key term
Group
A group is a collection of users, devices, or other objects that are assigned permissions and policies together for simplified management in identity and governance systems like Microsoft Entra ID.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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