- A
Create a log query alert that uses the Heartbeat table and the existing action group.
Why wrong: Heartbeat does not measure CPU usage, so it cannot detect this threshold condition correctly.
- B
Create one metric alert scoped to the 20 VM resources, using Percentage CPU and the shared action group.
A metric alert is the correct signal for CPU threshold monitoring, and scoping the rule to the VM resources lets Azure evaluate each VM independently while keeping a single alert definition. The action group handles the email and SMS delivery. This avoids creating 20 separate rules and prevents fleet-wide averaging from hiding one overloaded server. It is the simplest design that still evaluates each VM separately.
- C
Create one subscription-wide metric alert and average CPU across all virtual machines.
Why wrong: A subscription-wide average can hide a single hot VM because low usage elsewhere dilutes the signal.
- D
Configure diagnostic settings on each VM and use the action group for threshold processing.
Why wrong: Diagnostic settings export telemetry, but they do not evaluate conditions or generate threshold-based alerts by themselves.
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 production subscription contains 20 virtual machines across two resource groups. Operations needs an email and SMS notification whenever any single VM's average Percentage CPU stays above 85 for 10 minutes. The alert should be managed as one rule, and evaluation must happen independently for each VM. What should the administrator configure?
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
Create one metric alert scoped to the 20 VM resources, using Percentage CPU and the shared action group.
Option B is correct because a single metric alert rule can be scoped to multiple resources (up to 20 VMs) in Azure Monitor, allowing independent evaluation of each VM's Percentage CPU metric. When the average CPU exceeds 85% for 10 minutes on any individual VM, the alert fires and triggers the shared action group to send email and SMS notifications. This meets the requirement of one rule with per-VM independent evaluation.
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.
- ✗
Create a log query alert that uses the Heartbeat table and the existing action group.
Why it's wrong here
Heartbeat does not measure CPU usage, so it cannot detect this threshold condition correctly.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the requirement was to alert when a VM stops sending heartbeat signals (i.e., becomes unavailable) for a specified duration, using a log query alert scoped to the VMs.
- ✓
Create one metric alert scoped to the 20 VM resources, using Percentage CPU and the shared action group.
Why this is correct
A metric alert is the correct signal for CPU threshold monitoring, and scoping the rule to the VM resources lets Azure evaluate each VM independently while keeping a single alert definition. The action group handles the email and SMS delivery. This avoids creating 20 separate rules and prevents fleet-wide averaging from hiding one overloaded server. It is the simplest design that still evaluates each VM separately.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create one subscription-wide metric alert and average CPU across all virtual machines.
Why it's wrong here
A subscription-wide average can hide a single hot VM because low usage elsewhere dilutes the signal.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the requirement was to alert when the average CPU across all VMs in the subscription exceeds 85% for 10 minutes, indicating a fleet-wide performance issue rather than per-VM monitoring.
- ✗
Configure diagnostic settings on each VM and use the action group for threshold processing.
Why it's wrong here
Diagnostic settings export telemetry, but they do not evaluate conditions or generate threshold-based alerts by themselves.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question required collecting VM metrics into Log Analytics for historical analysis or custom log-based alerting, configuring diagnostic settings on each VM would be necessary to send metrics to a Log Analytics workspace.
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.
✓Create one metric alert scoped to the 20 VM resources, using Percentage CPU and the shared action group.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
A metric alert is the correct signal for CPU threshold monitoring, and scoping the rule to the VM resources lets Azure evaluate each VM independently while keeping a single alert definition. The action group handles the email and SMS delivery. This avoids creating 20 separate rules and prevents fleet-wide averaging from hiding one overloaded server. It is the simplest design that still evaluates each VM separately.
✗Create a log query alert that uses the Heartbeat table and the existing action group.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A log query alert using the Heartbeat table cannot measure Percentage CPU; Heartbeat logs only indicate VM availability, not performance metrics like CPU usage.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the requirement was to alert when a VM stops sending heartbeat signals (i.e., becomes unavailable) for a specified duration, using a log query alert scoped to the VMs.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse log-based alerts with metric alerts, or mistakenly think Heartbeat logs contain CPU performance data, leading them to choose this option for a CPU alert.
✗Create one subscription-wide metric alert and average CPU across all virtual machines.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Option C averages CPU across all VMs, but the requirement is for independent evaluation per VM. A subscription-wide metric alert with average aggregation would not trigger individually for each VM exceeding 85%.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the requirement was to alert when the average CPU across all VMs in the subscription exceeds 85% for 10 minutes, indicating a fleet-wide performance issue rather than per-VM monitoring.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think a subscription-wide alert is efficient and covers all VMs, overlooking the need for per-VM independent evaluation. The phrase 'average CPU across all virtual machines' seems like a simple way to monitor overall health.
✗Configure diagnostic settings on each VM and use the action group for threshold processing.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Diagnostic settings stream metrics to Azure Monitor, but they do not create alerts. Threshold processing and alerting require an alert rule, which is not configured by diagnostic settings alone.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question required collecting VM metrics into Log Analytics for historical analysis or custom log-based alerting, configuring diagnostic settings on each VM would be necessary to send metrics to a Log Analytics workspace.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse diagnostic settings with alert rules, thinking that sending metrics to an action group directly triggers notifications, or they may overcomplicate the solution by assuming metrics must be routed through diagnostic settings before alerting.
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 assume a single alert rule cannot monitor multiple VMs independently, leading them to choose option C (subscription-wide average) or option D (diagnostic settings), when in fact Azure Monitor supports multi-resource metric alerts with per-resource evaluation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Monitor metric alerts support multi-resource scoping for up to 20 VMs within the same region and subscription, using the 'Percentage CPU' metric with a dynamic threshold or static threshold of 85. The evaluation frequency defaults to 1-minute granularity, and the '10 minutes' condition uses the aggregation window (e.g., average over 10 minutes). Under the hood, each VM's metric time series is evaluated independently, so a single VM spike triggers the alert without affecting others — this is critical for production monitoring where individual VM health matters.
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.
What to study next
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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: Create one metric alert scoped to the 20 VM resources, using Percentage CPU and the shared action group. — Option B is correct because a single metric alert rule can be scoped to multiple resources (up to 20 VMs) in Azure Monitor, allowing independent evaluation of each VM's Percentage CPU metric. When the average CPU exceeds 85% for 10 minutes on any individual VM, the alert fires and triggers the shared action group to send email and SMS notifications. This meets the requirement of one rule with per-VM independent evaluation.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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