- 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.
Quick Answer
The answer is to send only the required platform diagnostic logs and Activity logs to one Log Analytics workspace, and use metric alerts for threshold-based signals. This approach is correct because it directly addresses the need to investigate VM performance and storage failures while minimizing Log Analytics cost by avoiding the ingestion of verbose guest-level logs, which are expensive to store and query. By centralizing only the essential platform logs (like Azure Storage diagnostics and VM metrics) alongside subscription-level Activity logs, you create a single pane of glass for incident investigation without paying for unnecessary data. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the trade-off between granularity and cost—a common trap is selecting “send all logs” or “enable guest-level monitoring,” which inflates costs. Remember the memory tip: “Platform logs for the plot, guest logs for the cost.”
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.
- ✗
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.
- ✓
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.
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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Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources — study guide chapter
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Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources practice questions
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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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-104 exam.
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