The answer is to resize the Azure VM to a larger SKU that provides more vCPU and RAM. This is correct because resizing directly addresses performance bottlenecks by scaling up compute and memory resources within the same virtual machine, preserving the OS, applications, and all state without requiring a rebuild. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Azure VM scaling options and the constraints of hardware compatibility—specifically that you must resize within the same series or to a compatible family, and that the VM must be stopped (deallocated) first if the new SKU is in a different size cluster. A common trap is assuming you need to redeploy or create a new VM, but Azure’s resize operation is the intended, non-destructive path. Memory tip: “Stop, swap, start”—always deallocate before changing families, and remember that resizing is a scale-up, not a rebuild.
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Exhibit
VM summary:
Name: vm-web-01
Current size: Standard_D2s_v5
Average CPU over 24 hours: 91%
Average memory pressure: 87%
Business requirement: increase compute capacity while keeping the OS disk, installed applications, and data intact
Based on the exhibit, what should the administrator do to meet the performance requirement without rebuilding the server?
VM summary:
Name: vm-web-01
Current size: Standard_D2s_v5
Average CPU over 24 hours: 91%
Average memory pressure: 87%
Business requirement: increase compute capacity while keeping the OS disk, installed applications, and data intact
A
Attach an additional data disk and move the application binaries to it.
Why wrong: Adding a data disk may increase storage capacity, but it does not increase CPU or memory resources.
B
Resize the VM to a larger SKU that provides more vCPU and RAM.
Resizing a VM is the standard way to increase compute capacity while preserving the existing OS disk and installed applications. The exhibit shows sustained high CPU and memory pressure, so moving to a larger size such as a higher D-series SKU addresses the bottleneck directly. This avoids rebuilding the server and keeps the workload on the same VM configuration with more resources.
C
Redeploy the VM from a different marketplace image.
Why wrong: Redeploying from another image would be disruptive and is unnecessary when the goal is only more compute capacity.
D
Place the VM in an availability set to spread processing across hosts.
Why wrong: An availability set improves resilience, but it does not increase the compute size of a single VM.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Resize the VM to a larger SKU that provides more vCPU and RAM.
Resizing the VM to a larger SKU with more vCPU and RAM directly addresses the performance requirement by providing additional compute and memory resources to the existing server without requiring a rebuild. This is the correct approach because the VM's current SKU is insufficient for the workload, and Azure allows resizing within the same hardware family or to a compatible series, preserving the OS and application state.
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.
✗
Attach an additional data disk and move the application binaries to it.
Why it's wrong here
Adding a data disk may increase storage capacity, but it does not increase CPU or memory resources.
✓
Resize the VM to a larger SKU that provides more vCPU and RAM.
Why this is correct
Resizing a VM is the standard way to increase compute capacity while preserving the existing OS disk and installed applications. The exhibit shows sustained high CPU and memory pressure, so moving to a larger size such as a higher D-series SKU addresses the bottleneck directly. This avoids rebuilding the server and keeps the workload on the same VM configuration with more resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Redeploy the VM from a different marketplace image.
Why it's wrong here
Redeploying from another image would be disruptive and is unnecessary when the goal is only more compute capacity.
✗
Place the VM in an availability set to spread processing across hosts.
Why it's wrong here
An availability set improves resilience, but it does not increase the compute size of a single VM.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse performance scaling with high availability or storage optimization, mistakenly choosing to add a data disk or use an availability set when the real need is to increase compute capacity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure VM resizing works by changing the VM's hardware profile to a different SKU within the same size family (e.g., from Standard_D2s_v3 to Standard_D4s_v3) or to a compatible family, which requires the VM to be deallocated first. The resizing operation updates the VM's virtual hardware configuration, allocating more vCPUs and RAM from the underlying Azure hypervisor, while the OS disk and data disks remain intact. In real-world scenarios, performance issues often stem from CPU or memory saturation, and resizing is the most direct fix without reinstallation, though it may require a brief downtime during the deallocation and resize process.
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: Resize the VM to a larger SKU that provides more vCPU and RAM. — Resizing the VM to a larger SKU with more vCPU and RAM directly addresses the performance requirement by providing additional compute and memory resources to the existing server without requiring a rebuild. This is the correct approach because the VM's current SKU is insufficient for the workload, and Azure allows resizing within the same hardware family or to a compatible series, preserving the OS and application state.
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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