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. A key principle to apply: azure Activity Log records subscription-level control plane events.. 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.
Your company must retain Azure Activity Log data beyond the default retention period and make it available for long-term analysis. What should you configure?
Diagnostic settings for the Activity Log
Diagnostic settings export Activity Log data to supported long-term destinations.
A ReadOnly lock on the subscription
Why wrong: A lock does not change log retention behavior.
An availability set
Why wrong: An availability set improves VM resiliency and is unrelated to Activity Log retention.
NSG flow logs only
Why wrong: NSG flow logs capture traffic flows, not Azure Activity Log data.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Diagnostic settings for the Activity Log
Diagnostic settings for the Activity Log allow you to stream the log to a Log Analytics workspace, storage account, or Event Hubs, thereby extending retention beyond the default 90 days (for storage) or indefinitely (in Log Analytics). This is the only mechanism that enables long-term retention and analysis of Azure Activity Log data.
Key principle: Azure Activity Log records subscription-level control plane events.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Diagnostic settings for the Activity Log
Why this is correct
Diagnostic settings export Activity Log data to supported long-term destinations.
Related concept
Azure Activity Log records subscription-level control plane events.
A ReadOnly lock on the subscription
Why it's wrong here
A lock does not change log retention behavior.
An availability set
Why it's wrong here
An availability set improves VM resiliency and is unrelated to Activity Log retention.
NSG flow logs only
Why it's wrong here
NSG flow logs capture traffic flows, not Azure Activity Log data.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the default 90-day retention of the Activity Log with the ability to extend it via a simple lock or by enabling NSG flow logs, not realizing that only diagnostic settings provide the export and retention control needed for long-term analysis.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the Azure Activity Log is a subscription-level log that records all control-plane events (e.g., resource creation, deletion, RBAC changes). By default, it is retained for 90 days. Configuring diagnostic settings sends the log to a Log Analytics workspace (where retention can be set per table up to 730 days or longer with data archiving) or to Azure Storage (where you can set a retention policy in days or keep data indefinitely). This is distinct from resource-level diagnostic settings, which capture guest OS or application logs.
Key takeaway
Azure Activity Log records subscription-level control plane events.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
Review azure Activity Log records subscription-level control plane events., then practise related AZ-104 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources — This question tests Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources — Azure Activity Log records subscription-level control plane events..
The correct answer is: Diagnostic settings for the Activity Log — Diagnostic settings for the Activity Log allow you to stream the log to a Log Analytics workspace, storage account, or Event Hubs, thereby extending retention beyond the default 90 days (for storage) or indefinitely (in Log Analytics). This is the only mechanism that enables long-term retention and analysis of Azure Activity Log data.
Review azure Activity Log records subscription-level control plane events., then practise related AZ-104 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Azure Activity Log records subscription-level control plane events.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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