AZ-104 Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of monitor and maintain azure resources. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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
Storage account diagnostics
---------------------------
Diagnostic settings: storage-diag
Logs: Enabled
Destinations:
- Archive to storage account: Yes
- Event Hub: No
- Log Analytics workspace: No
Operational requirement
----------------------
Search logs in KQL
Build workbook charts
Create log-based alerts
Keep data queryable for 30 days
Based on the exhibit, the security team needs 30 days of searchable log data for a storage account and wants to create queries that can be used in workbooks and alerts. The current configuration only sends data to an archive location. What should the administrator configure?
Exhibit
Storage account diagnostics
---------------------------
Diagnostic settings: storage-diag
Logs: Enabled
Destinations:
- Archive to storage account: Yes
- Event Hub: No
- Log Analytics workspace: No
Operational requirement
----------------------
Search logs in KQL
Build workbook charts
Create log-based alerts
Keep data queryable for 30 days
A
Add a Log Analytics workspace destination to the diagnostic setting.
Log Analytics is the destination that supports KQL searches, workbook visualizations, and log-based alert rules. Adding it to the diagnostic setting gives the security team queryable operational data for the required retention period.
B
Change the storage account redundancy to RA-GRS.
Why wrong: Redundancy improves data durability, but it does not make diagnostic logs searchable in KQL or usable for alerts.
C
Enable a CanNotDelete lock on the storage account.
Why wrong: A lock protects the resource from deletion, but it does not route logs or provide analytic capabilities.
D
Configure a private endpoint for the storage account.
Why wrong: Private connectivity affects network access, not where diagnostics are sent or how long they remain queryable.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a Log Analytics workspace destination to the diagnostic setting.
Option A is correct because the current diagnostic setting only archives logs to a storage account, which does not support interactive querying, workbooks, or alert rules. By adding a Log Analytics workspace destination to the same diagnostic setting, logs are sent to a centralized workspace where they become searchable via KQL, enabling real-time queries, workbook visualizations, and alert triggers. This meets the security team's requirement for 30 days of searchable log data without changing the existing archive destination.
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.
✓
Add a Log Analytics workspace destination to the diagnostic setting.
Why this is correct
Log Analytics is the destination that supports KQL searches, workbook visualizations, and log-based alert rules. Adding it to the diagnostic setting gives the security team queryable operational data for the required retention period.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Change the storage account redundancy to RA-GRS.
Why it's wrong here
Redundancy improves data durability, but it does not make diagnostic logs searchable in KQL or usable for alerts.
When this WOULD be correct
When the question asks for a storage account configuration to ensure data remains available during a regional outage, or to meet a compliance requirement for geo-redundant storage of audit logs.
✗
Enable a CanNotDelete lock on the storage account.
Why it's wrong here
A lock protects the resource from deletion, but it does not route logs or provide analytic capabilities.
When this WOULD be correct
In a scenario where an administrator needs to protect a critical storage account from accidental deletion while maintaining existing configurations, a CanNotDelete lock would be the correct answer.
✗
Configure a private endpoint for the storage account.
Why it's wrong here
Private connectivity affects network access, not where diagnostics are sent or how long they remain queryable.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where the requirement is to ensure that a storage account is only accessible over a private network and not over the public internet, while maintaining compliance with data exfiltration protection policies. For example: 'You need to ensure that a storage account is only accessible from a virtual network and cannot be reached from the internet. What should you configure?'
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.
✓Add a Log Analytics workspace destination to the diagnostic setting.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Log Analytics is the destination that supports KQL searches, workbook visualizations, and log-based alert rules. Adding it to the diagnostic setting gives the security team queryable operational data for the required retention period.
✗Change the storage account redundancy to RA-GRS.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
RA-GRS provides geo-redundant storage for durability, not searchable log data retention or query capabilities. The requirement is for 30 days of searchable logs and workbook/alert queries, which requires a Log Analytics workspace.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the question asks for a storage account configuration to ensure data remains available during a regional outage, or to meet a compliance requirement for geo-redundant storage of audit logs.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse redundancy with data retention or think that changing redundancy affects log availability, not understanding that RA-GRS is about replication, not log search or query capabilities.
✗Enable a CanNotDelete lock on the storage account.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Enabling a CanNotDelete lock prevents accidental deletion of the storage account but does not affect log data retention, searchability, or query capabilities in workbooks and alerts.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a scenario where an administrator needs to protect a critical storage account from accidental deletion while maintaining existing configurations, a CanNotDelete lock would be the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse resource locks with data retention or access controls, thinking that preventing deletion also preserves log data or enables querying.
✗Configure a private endpoint for the storage account.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Configuring a private endpoint for the storage account provides network isolation by enabling private connectivity, but it does not affect log data retention or query capabilities. The requirement is for searchable log data and queries in workbooks/alerts, which requires a Log Analytics workspace, not a private endpoint.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where the requirement is to ensure that a storage account is only accessible over a private network and not over the public internet, while maintaining compliance with data exfiltration protection policies. For example: 'You need to ensure that a storage account is only accessible from a virtual network and cannot be reached from the internet. What should you configure?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse network security with log management, thinking that a private endpoint enhances security and thus might be needed for compliance or data protection, but it does not address the logging and query requirement.
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 think archiving logs to a storage account is sufficient for querying, but Azure Storage does not provide native log search or alerting capabilities—only Log Analytics workspaces enable interactive queries, workbooks, and alerts.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Diagnostic Settings can send platform logs and metrics to multiple destinations simultaneously, including Log Analytics workspaces, storage accounts, and Event Hubs. When logs are sent to a Log Analytics workspace, they are ingested into a dedicated table (e.g., StorageBlobLogs) and retained according to the workspace's retention policy, which can be set to 30 days or more. This allows the use of Kusto Query Language (KQL) for real-time analysis, creation of workbooks, and configuration of alert rules based on log patterns—capabilities not available when logs are only archived to blob storage.
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
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
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: Add a Log Analytics workspace destination to the diagnostic setting. — Option A is correct because the current diagnostic setting only archives logs to a storage account, which does not support interactive querying, workbooks, or alert rules. By adding a Log Analytics workspace destination to the same diagnostic setting, logs are sent to a centralized workspace where they become searchable via KQL, enabling real-time queries, workbook visualizations, and alert triggers. This meets the security team's requirement for 30 days of searchable log data without changing the existing archive destination.
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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Question Discussion
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