- A
Retain instant restore snapshots for 2 days
Short snapshot retention keeps recent restore points available for fast file recovery.
- B
Retain daily recovery points for 30 days
Daily retention preserves a full month of restore points for operational recovery.
- C
Run the backup job every 12 hours
Why wrong: The requirement is daily backups, not a twice-daily backup schedule.
- D
Retain weekly recovery points for 30 days
Why wrong: Weekly retention does not match the requirement for daily recovery points.
- E
Move backup data to Archive tier
Why wrong: Archive tier is a storage tier concept, not a standard Azure VM backup policy setting.
Question 940 of 1,170
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.
A finance VM is backed up daily. The team wants short-lived snapshots so recently changed files can be recovered quickly, but they also need daily recovery points retained for 30 days. Which two backup policy settings should be configured? Select two.
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
✓
Retain instant restore snapshots for 2 days
Option A is correct because instant restore snapshots are short-lived, locally stored snapshots that allow quick recovery of recently changed files. Setting 'Retain instant restore snapshots for 2 days' ensures these snapshots are available for immediate restores without consuming long-term backup storage. Option B is correct because 'Retain daily recovery points for 30 days' meets the requirement for daily recovery points to be kept for the specified retention period, allowing recovery from any of the last 30 daily backups.
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.
- ✓
Retain instant restore snapshots for 2 days
Why this is correct
Short snapshot retention keeps recent restore points available for fast file recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Retain daily recovery points for 30 days
Why this is correct
Daily retention preserves a full month of restore points for operational recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Run the backup job every 12 hours
Why it's wrong here
The requirement is daily backups, not a twice-daily backup schedule.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where the requirement is to minimize data loss with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of less than 24 hours, and the backup policy supports multiple backups per day, such as 'You need to ensure that no more than 12 hours of data is lost in case of a failure. Which backup frequency should you configure?'
- ✗
Retain weekly recovery points for 30 days
Why it's wrong here
Weekly retention does not match the requirement for daily recovery points.
When this WOULD be correct
In a scenario where the team needs weekly recovery points for compliance (e.g., retaining weekly backups for 30 days) and daily backups are not required, this option would be correct.
- ✗
Move backup data to Archive tier
Why it's wrong here
Archive tier is a storage tier concept, not a standard Azure VM backup policy setting.
When this WOULD be correct
An organization needs to retain backup data for several years for compliance purposes but wants to minimize storage costs. The correct answer would be to move backup data to the Archive tier after a specified retention period, such as moving data older than 30 days to Archive.
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.
✓Retain instant restore snapshots for 2 daysCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Short snapshot retention keeps recent restore points available for fast file recovery.
✗Run the backup job every 12 hoursWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The requirement is for short-lived snapshots for quick recovery and daily recovery points retained for 30 days. Running the backup job every 12 hours would create additional recovery points but does not address the need for short-lived snapshots or the 30-day retention of daily points.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where the requirement is to minimize data loss with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of less than 24 hours, and the backup policy supports multiple backups per day, such as 'You need to ensure that no more than 12 hours of data is lost in case of a failure. Which backup frequency should you configure?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that more frequent backups (every 12 hours) would improve recovery options, but the question specifically asks for short-lived snapshots and daily retention, not increased backup frequency.
✗Retain weekly recovery points for 30 daysWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question specifies daily recovery points retained for 30 days, not weekly. Retaining weekly recovery points for 30 days would keep only 4-5 weekly points, not daily, failing the requirement for daily recovery.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a scenario where the team needs weekly recovery points for compliance (e.g., retaining weekly backups for 30 days) and daily backups are not required, this option would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'daily recovery points' with 'weekly recovery points' or think that retaining weekly points for 30 days also covers daily recovery needs, not realizing the retention period applies to the selected frequency.
✗Move backup data to Archive tierWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Archive tier is for long-term retention of backup data at lower cost, but it does not support short-lived snapshots for quick recovery of recently changed files. The question requires both short-term snapshots and daily recovery points for 30 days, not archival storage.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An organization needs to retain backup data for several years for compliance purposes but wants to minimize storage costs. The correct answer would be to move backup data to the Archive tier after a specified retention period, such as moving data older than 30 days to Archive.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that moving backups to a cheaper storage tier is always beneficial for cost savings, overlooking that the Archive tier has longer restore times and is not suitable for the quick recovery of recent changes required in this scenario.
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 often confuse 'instant restore snapshots' with 'recovery points' and may select options like 'Run the backup job every 12 hours' thinking more frequent backups improve recovery speed, when in fact the instant restore snapshot retention setting directly controls the availability of quick file-level restores.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Backup uses instant restore snapshots (typically stored locally on the same region as the VM) to enable fast file-level recovery from the most recent backup point, with retention configurable from 1 to 5 days. Daily recovery points are full backups that are retained in the Recovery Services vault for the specified duration (here, 30 days), and they support granular restore operations. The combination of short-lived instant snapshots for quick recovery and longer-term daily points for compliance ensures both speed and retention without excessive storage costs.
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.
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?
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: Retain instant restore snapshots for 2 days — Option A is correct because instant restore snapshots are short-lived, locally stored snapshots that allow quick recovery of recently changed files. Setting 'Retain instant restore snapshots for 2 days' ensures these snapshots are available for immediate restores without consuming long-term backup storage. Option B is correct because 'Retain daily recovery points for 30 days' meets the requirement for daily recovery points to be kept for the specified retention period, allowing recovery from any of the last 30 daily backups.
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
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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