- A
Enable full guest-level logging on every VM, send all storage logs to the workspace, and add all activity logs from every subscription
Why wrong: This is the highest-cost option because it collects far more telemetry than the scenario requires.
- B
Use metric alerts only and avoid Log Analytics because metrics are always cheaper than logs
Why wrong: Metrics are useful, but they cannot replace log analysis for investigating resource and control-plane changes.
- C
Send only the required platform diagnostic logs and Activity logs to one Log Analytics workspace, and use metric alerts for threshold-based signals
This balances cost and troubleshooting value by collecting only the telemetry needed for investigation while using metrics for simple threshold monitoring.
- D
Export all telemetry to a storage account and query it manually when an incident occurs
Why wrong: A storage account is not the best operational analytics platform for fast querying and correlation across many Azure resources.
AZ-104 Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of monitor and maintain azure resources. 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.
A platform team wants to investigate incidents involving Azure VM performance, storage failures, and subscription-level changes in one place. They want to minimize Log Analytics ingestion cost. Which telemetry approach should they use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Send only the required platform diagnostic logs and Activity logs to one Log Analytics workspace, and use metric alerts for threshold-based signals
Option C is correct because it balances the need for centralized incident investigation with cost control. By sending only required platform diagnostic logs (e.g., from Azure Storage and VM metrics) and Activity logs to a single Log Analytics workspace, the team avoids unnecessary ingestion of verbose guest-level logs. Metric alerts provide threshold-based signals without log ingestion costs, enabling efficient monitoring of performance and failures.
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.
- ✗
Enable full guest-level logging on every VM, send all storage logs to the workspace, and add all activity logs from every subscription
Why it's wrong here
This is the highest-cost option because it collects far more telemetry than the scenario requires.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question required comprehensive, centralized monitoring with no cost constraints, such as 'A security team needs to capture all possible telemetry for forensic analysis after a breach, regardless of cost.'
- ✗
Use metric alerts only and avoid Log Analytics because metrics are always cheaper than logs
Why it's wrong here
Metrics are useful, but they cannot replace log analysis for investigating resource and control-plane changes.
When this WOULD be correct
A question that asks for the most cost-effective way to monitor resource health and trigger notifications without needing detailed log investigation, such as 'Which approach minimizes cost while alerting on high CPU usage across VMs?'
- ✓
Send only the required platform diagnostic logs and Activity logs to one Log Analytics workspace, and use metric alerts for threshold-based signals
Why this is correct
This balances cost and troubleshooting value by collecting only the telemetry needed for investigation while using metrics for simple threshold monitoring.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Export all telemetry to a storage account and query it manually when an incident occurs
Why it's wrong here
A storage account is not the best operational analytics platform for fast querying and correlation across many Azure resources.
When this WOULD be correct
In a scenario where compliance mandates long-term archival of raw telemetry data for auditing purposes, and cost optimization is achieved by using lifecycle management policies (e.g., moving to cool/archive tiers) rather than real-time querying, exporting to a storage account would be appropriate.
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.
✓Send only the required platform diagnostic logs and Activity logs to one Log Analytics workspace, and use metric alerts for threshold-based signalsCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
This balances cost and troubleshooting value by collecting only the telemetry needed for investigation while using metrics for simple threshold monitoring.
✗Enable full guest-level logging on every VM, send all storage logs to the workspace, and add all activity logs from every subscriptionWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Enabling full guest-level logging on every VM and sending all storage logs and all activity logs from every subscription generates excessive data, significantly increasing Log Analytics ingestion costs, which contradicts the goal of minimizing cost.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question required comprehensive, centralized monitoring with no cost constraints, such as 'A security team needs to capture all possible telemetry for forensic analysis after a breach, regardless of cost.'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that collecting all logs ensures complete visibility, not realizing the cost implications and that selective logging can still cover the required incident types.
✗Use metric alerts only and avoid Log Analytics because metrics are always cheaper than logsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Metric alerts alone cannot provide the detailed logs needed to investigate VM performance, storage failures, and subscription-level changes; they only trigger on thresholds and lack the diagnostic data required for root cause analysis.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question that asks for the most cost-effective way to monitor resource health and trigger notifications without needing detailed log investigation, such as 'Which approach minimizes cost while alerting on high CPU usage across VMs?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may believe metrics are always cheaper and sufficient for all monitoring needs, overlooking that incident investigation requires logs for detailed analysis.
✗Export all telemetry to a storage account and query it manually when an incident occursWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Exporting all telemetry to a storage account and querying it manually is inefficient for real-time incident investigation, incurs high storage costs, and lacks the centralized querying and alerting capabilities of Log Analytics, contradicting the requirement to minimize cost and investigate in one place.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a scenario where compliance mandates long-term archival of raw telemetry data for auditing purposes, and cost optimization is achieved by using lifecycle management policies (e.g., moving to cool/archive tiers) rather than real-time querying, exporting to a storage account would be appropriate.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think storing raw data in a storage account is cheaper than Log Analytics ingestion, and that manual querying is acceptable for occasional investigations, overlooking the operational overhead and lack of integrated analysis tools.
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 full logging (Option A) is necessary for comprehensive investigation, overlooking the cost implications of ingesting verbose guest-level logs, or assume metrics alone (Option B) can replace logs for incident root cause analysis.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
This is the highest-cost option because it collects far more telemetry than the scenario requires.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Azure Monitor categorizes telemetry into metrics (numeric time-series data stored for 93 days with low cost) and logs (event-based data ingested into Log Analytics with per-GB charges). Platform diagnostic logs (e.g., from Azure Storage or VM scale sets) and Activity logs (tenant-level events) can be selectively streamed to a workspace using diagnostic settings, while metric alerts use thresholds (e.g., CPU > 90%) without log ingestion. In a real-world scenario, a storage failure incident might require analyzing storage account logs for error codes (e.g., 500 or 503) alongside Activity logs for role assignment changes, all in one workspace, while VM performance issues are caught by metric alerts on CPU or disk IOPS.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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: Send only the required platform diagnostic logs and Activity logs to one Log Analytics workspace, and use metric alerts for threshold-based signals — Option C is correct because it balances the need for centralized incident investigation with cost control. By sending only required platform diagnostic logs (e.g., from Azure Storage and VM metrics) and Activity logs to a single Log Analytics workspace, the team avoids unnecessary ingestion of verbose guest-level logs. Metric alerts provide threshold-based signals without log ingestion costs, enabling efficient monitoring of performance and failures.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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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