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.
Based on the exhibit, you want the resource logs for the storage account to appear in Log Analytics so you can investigate read and write failures. What should you configure?
Create a metric alert rule on the storage account and link it to an action group.
Why wrong: A metric alert can notify operators when a threshold is crossed, but it does not export the underlying resource logs into Log Analytics for investigation.
B
Add a diagnostic setting that sends resource logs to the Log Analytics workspace.
Diagnostic settings are the Azure Monitor feature used to route platform logs and metrics from a resource to destinations such as Log Analytics. Because the exhibit shows logs are disabled and no destination is configured, adding a diagnostic setting with the workspace selected is the correct way to make read and write events available for querying.
C
Enable a resource lock so the storage account cannot be modified.
Why wrong: A lock protects the resource from deletion or changes, but it does not collect or export monitoring data. It would not help with log investigation.
D
Move the storage account to a different subscription that already has Log Analytics enabled.
Why wrong: Log Analytics is not inherited by subscription movement in the way this scenario requires. The missing configuration is the diagnostic setting on the storage account itself.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a diagnostic setting that sends resource logs to the Log Analytics workspace.
Diagnostic settings in Azure allow you to stream resource logs (such as StorageRead and StorageWrite logs) from a storage account directly to a Log Analytics workspace. By configuring a diagnostic setting with the appropriate log categories enabled, you can query and analyze read and write failures in Log Analytics without additional infrastructure.
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 metric alert rule on the storage account and link it to an action group.
Why it's wrong here
A metric alert can notify operators when a threshold is crossed, but it does not export the underlying resource logs into Log Analytics for investigation.
When this WOULD be correct
You need to be notified when the average latency of a storage account exceeds a threshold for 5 minutes. In that case, creating a metric alert rule on the storage account and linking it to an action group (e.g., email or SMS) would be correct.
✓
Add a diagnostic setting that sends resource logs to the Log Analytics workspace.
Why this is correct
Diagnostic settings are the Azure Monitor feature used to route platform logs and metrics from a resource to destinations such as Log Analytics. Because the exhibit shows logs are disabled and no destination is configured, adding a diagnostic setting with the workspace selected is the correct way to make read and write events available for querying.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable a resource lock so the storage account cannot be modified.
Why it's wrong here
A lock protects the resource from deletion or changes, but it does not collect or export monitoring data. It would not help with log investigation.
When this WOULD be correct
You would configure a resource lock if the question asked how to prevent accidental deletion or modification of a critical storage account, such as when implementing governance controls for a production resource.
✗
Move the storage account to a different subscription that already has Log Analytics enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Log Analytics is not inherited by subscription movement in the way this scenario requires. The missing configuration is the diagnostic setting on the storage account itself.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked how to ensure that a storage account's logs are collected by a Log Analytics workspace in a different subscription, and you have already configured diagnostic settings, moving the storage account to that subscription might be a valid step to simplify management or meet compliance requirements.
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.
✓Add a diagnostic setting that sends resource logs to the Log Analytics workspace.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Diagnostic settings are the Azure Monitor feature used to route platform logs and metrics from a resource to destinations such as Log Analytics. Because the exhibit shows logs are disabled and no destination is configured, adding a diagnostic setting with the workspace selected is the correct way to make read and write events available for querying.
✗Create a metric alert rule on the storage account and link it to an action group.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Metric alert rules monitor performance metrics (e.g., latency, throughput) and trigger actions, but they do not collect or send resource logs to Log Analytics. Resource logs require a diagnostic setting to be configured.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
You need to be notified when the average latency of a storage account exceeds a threshold for 5 minutes. In that case, creating a metric alert rule on the storage account and linking it to an action group (e.g., email or SMS) would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse metric alerts with diagnostic settings, thinking alerts can also collect log data, or they may assume that any monitoring configuration involving Log Analytics requires an alert rule.
✗Enable a resource lock so the storage account cannot be modified.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A resource lock prevents accidental deletion or modification of the storage account, but it does not collect or send resource logs to Log Analytics for investigating read and write failures.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
You would configure a resource lock if the question asked how to prevent accidental deletion or modification of a critical storage account, such as when implementing governance controls for a production resource.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse resource locks with diagnostic settings, thinking that locking the resource somehow secures or enables logging, or they may believe that a lock is required before logs can be sent.
✗Move the storage account to a different subscription that already has Log Analytics enabled.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Moving the storage account to a different subscription does not automatically send resource logs to Log Analytics; you still need to configure a diagnostic setting to stream logs to the workspace.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked how to ensure that a storage account's logs are collected by a Log Analytics workspace in a different subscription, and you have already configured diagnostic settings, moving the storage account to that subscription might be a valid step to simplify management or meet compliance requirements.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that moving to a subscription with Log Analytics enabled automatically enables logging, confusing subscription-level settings with resource-level diagnostic settings.
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 often confuse metric alerts (which monitor performance metrics) with diagnostic settings (which collect detailed resource logs), leading them to choose a metric-based solution when the question explicitly asks for log data to investigate failures.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Log Analytics is not inherited by subscription movement in the way this scenario requires. The missing configuration is the diagnostic setting on the storage account itself.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Diagnostic settings use the Azure Monitor REST API to route platform logs and metrics to destinations like Log Analytics, Event Hubs, or Azure Storage. For storage accounts, the 'StorageRead' and 'StorageWrite' log categories capture detailed information about each request, including status codes and error types, which can be queried using Kusto Query Language (KQL) in Log Analytics to identify failure patterns. This is distinct from metrics, which only provide aggregated counts and averages.
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: Add a diagnostic setting that sends resource logs to the Log Analytics workspace. — Diagnostic settings in Azure allow you to stream resource logs (such as StorageRead and StorageWrite logs) from a storage account directly to a Log Analytics workspace. By configuring a diagnostic setting with the appropriate log categories enabled, you can query and analyze read and write failures in Log Analytics without additional infrastructure.
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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