The answer is vault credentials and selecting the appropriate recovery point. Vault credentials are required to authenticate the portal session to the Recovery Services vault, ensuring secure access when mounting the iSCSI target on the VM for file-level recovery. Selecting the correct recovery point is equally essential because the portal uses that specific snapshot to create the iSCSI target, allowing you to browse and restore individual files without restoring the entire VM. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Azure Backup’s granular restore capabilities, often appearing as a distractor where candidates mistakenly think you need to install an agent or stop the VM first. A common trap is assuming file-level recovery requires the VM to be deallocated, but it actually works on running VMs. Remember the mnemonic “Vault and View” — you need the vault credentials to authenticate and the view (recovery point) to mount.
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 user deleted a file from an Azure VM, and the administrator wants to use Azure Backup file-level recovery rather than restore the whole VM. Which two prerequisites are required before mounting the recovery point from the portal? Select two.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Download the vault credentials file
Option A is correct because vault credentials are required to authenticate the portal session to the Recovery Services vault when performing file-level recovery. Option B is correct because you must select a specific recovery point (snapshot) from which to mount the files; the portal uses this point to create an iSCSI target on the VM.
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.
✓
Download the vault credentials file
Why this is correct
Vault credentials authenticate the temporary mount process used for file-level recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Select the appropriate recovery point
Why this is correct
A recovery point provides the backup snapshot from which the file can be restored.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Provide the storage account access key
Why it's wrong here
Storage account keys are unrelated to Azure VM backup file recovery workflows.
✗
Assign a public IP address to the VM
Why it's wrong here
File recovery mounts backup data through the portal workflow, not through public VM connectivity.
✗
Create an Azure AD application secret
Why it's wrong here
Application secrets are not part of the standard Azure Backup file-level recovery process.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse file-level recovery with restoring a VM from a storage account snapshot, leading them to think a storage account key is needed, when in fact the iSCSI mount uses vault credentials and the Backup service's managed identity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
File-level recovery works by mounting the recovery point as an iSCSI target on the VM via the Azure Backup extension. The portal downloads a script that uses the vault credentials to authenticate and then attaches the iSCSI disk, which appears as a new drive in the OS. This avoids restoring the entire VM and is ideal for retrieving a few files from a backup without downtime.
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.
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: Download the vault credentials file — Option A is correct because vault credentials are required to authenticate the portal session to the Recovery Services vault when performing file-level recovery. Option B is correct because you must select a specific recovery point (snapshot) from which to mount the files; the portal uses this point to create an iSCSI target on the VM.
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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A user deleted several files from an Azure VM, and the administrator wants to use Azure Backup file recovery. Which two items are needed to start the recovery process? Select two.
easy
✓ A.A recovery point
B.An application security group
✓ C.The file recovery script downloaded from the vault
D.A metric alert rule
E.A user-assigned managed identity
Why A: Azure Backup file recovery requires a recovery point (A) because it represents the snapshot of the VM's data at a specific time from which files can be restored. The file recovery script (C) is downloaded from the Recovery Services vault and mounts the recovery point as a drive on the VM, enabling file-level access. Without both, the recovery process cannot proceed.
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.