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
Alert rule summary
------------------
Scope: vm-prod-01
Condition: Percentage CPU > 85
Evaluation frequency: 1 minute
Window size: 10 minutes
Severity: 2
Action groups: None
Notifications: Not configured
Status: Enabled
Metric sample
-------------
12:00 CPU 72%
12:01 CPU 88%
12:02 CPU 91%
12:03 CPU 89%
12:04 CPU 87%
12:05 CPU 90%
12:06 CPU 86%
12:07 CPU 92%
12:08 CPU 94%
12:09 CPU 88%
Based on the exhibit, a production VM must send an email and SMS notification if average CPU stays above 85% for 10 minutes. The team created the alert rule, but no one receives notifications when the condition is met. What should the administrator add to the alert rule?
Exhibit
Alert rule summary
------------------
Scope: vm-prod-01
Condition: Percentage CPU > 85
Evaluation frequency: 1 minute
Window size: 10 minutes
Severity: 2
Action groups: None
Notifications: Not configured
Status: Enabled
Metric sample
-------------
12:00 CPU 72%
12:01 CPU 88%
12:02 CPU 91%
12:03 CPU 89%
12:04 CPU 87%
12:05 CPU 90%
12:06 CPU 86%
12:07 CPU 92%
12:08 CPU 94%
12:09 CPU 88%
A
Add a diagnostic setting that sends VM metrics to a Log Analytics workspace.
Why wrong: Diagnostic settings export data for analysis, but they do not by themselves send alert notifications to people or systems.
B
Attach an action group that includes email and SMS receivers.
Azure Monitor alert rules need an action group to trigger notifications or automation when the metric condition is met. The alert already evaluates correctly, but it has no notification target. Adding an action group with email and SMS receivers enables the response the business wants.
C
Change the alert to use a log query instead of a metric condition.
Why wrong: A log alert could work, but the metric alert already matches the CPU threshold requirement. The missing piece is notification delivery, not the alert type.
D
Create a resource lock to prevent changes to the virtual machine.
Why wrong: A lock protects against modification or deletion, but it does not generate alerts or notify operators about high CPU usage.
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 email and SMS receivers.
The alert rule is correctly configured to trigger when the average CPU exceeds 85% for 10 minutes, but notifications are not being sent because no action group is attached. An action group defines the notification channels (e.g., email, SMS, webhook) that fire when the alert is activated. Without an action group, the alert can fire silently, so the administrator must attach an action group containing the desired email and SMS receivers.
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 diagnostic setting that sends VM metrics to a Log Analytics workspace.
Why it's wrong here
Diagnostic settings export data for analysis, but they do not by themselves send alert notifications to people or systems.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question required analyzing historical CPU trends or correlating with other metrics, a diagnostic setting sending VM metrics to Log Analytics would be needed to enable log-based alerts or advanced queries.
✓
Attach an action group that includes email and SMS receivers.
Why this is correct
Azure Monitor alert rules need an action group to trigger notifications or automation when the metric condition is met. The alert already evaluates correctly, but it has no notification target. Adding an action group with email and SMS receivers enables the response the business wants.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Change the alert to use a log query instead of a metric condition.
Why it's wrong here
A log alert could work, but the metric alert already matches the CPU threshold requirement. The missing piece is notification delivery, not the alert type.
✗
Create a resource lock to prevent changes to the virtual machine.
Why it's wrong here
A lock protects against modification or deletion, but it does not generate alerts or notify operators about high CPU usage.
When this WOULD be correct
An administrator needs to ensure that a critical production VM cannot be accidentally deleted or modified. Adding a resource lock (e.g., CanNotDelete or ReadOnly) would be the correct solution to protect the VM from unintended changes.
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 email and SMS receivers.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Azure Monitor alert rules need an action group to trigger notifications or automation when the metric condition is met. The alert already evaluates correctly, but it has no notification target. Adding an action group with email and SMS receivers enables the response the business wants.
✗Add a diagnostic setting that sends VM metrics to a Log Analytics workspace.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The alert rule already uses a metric condition (CPU > 85% for 10 minutes), so sending metrics to Log Analytics is unnecessary for notification. The issue is that no action group is attached to the alert to send email/SMS.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question required analyzing historical CPU trends or correlating with other metrics, a diagnostic setting sending VM metrics to Log Analytics would be needed to enable log-based alerts or advanced queries.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse diagnostic settings with alert actions, thinking that sending metrics to Log Analytics automatically enables notifications, or they may overcomplicate the solution by adding unnecessary monitoring infrastructure.
✗Create a resource lock to prevent changes to the virtual machine.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A resource lock prevents accidental deletion or modification of the VM, but it does not affect alert notifications. The issue is that no one receives notifications, which requires an action group, not a lock.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An administrator needs to ensure that a critical production VM cannot be accidentally deleted or modified. Adding a resource lock (e.g., CanNotDelete or ReadOnly) would be the correct solution to protect the VM from unintended changes.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse resource locks with alert actions, thinking that locking the VM somehow secures the alert rule or prevents notification failures, but locks only affect management operations, not monitoring or notifications.
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 the alert rule itself includes notification settings, but Azure separates the alert condition (metric/log) from the notification mechanism (action group), so you must explicitly attach an action group to receive alerts.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Monitor metric alerts evaluate resource metrics at a frequency of 1 minute (for most metrics) and can use aggregation windows (e.g., 10 minutes) to detect sustained conditions. The action group is a separate Azure resource that defines notification endpoints; when an alert fires, it invokes the action group via HTTPS or SMTP, and each receiver type (email, SMS) has its own delivery protocol and throttling limits (e.g., SMS is limited to 1 message per 5 minutes per phone number). In production, ensure the action group's email domain is not blocked by spam filters and that SMS carriers are supported in the target region.
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.
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: Attach an action group that includes email and SMS receivers. — The alert rule is correctly configured to trigger when the average CPU exceeds 85% for 10 minutes, but notifications are not being sent because no action group is attached. An action group defines the notification channels (e.g., email, SMS, webhook) that fire when the alert is activated. Without an action group, the alert can fire silently, so the administrator must attach an action group containing the desired email and SMS receivers.
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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