- A
Switch to Premium plan with pre-warmed instances
Why wrong: Fixed cost is higher for intermittent workloads.
- B
Migrate to Flex Consumption plan with higher memory
Flex Consumption allows memory optimization to reduce execution time and cost.
- C
Use an App Service plan with Always On
Why wrong: Always On keeps the app running, increasing cost.
- D
Deploy to Azure Container Instances
Why wrong: ACI charges per second, may not be cheaper.
Question 855 of 997
Reduce Costs for Intermittent Azure Functions
This AZ-204 practice question tests your understanding of monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize azure solutions. 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.
You need to reduce costs for an Azure Functions app that runs intermittently. The current Consumption plan bills for execution time. Which change would be MOST cost-effective?
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
✓
Migrate to Flex Consumption plan with higher memory
The Flex Consumption plan allows you to configure per-instance memory and concurrency settings, which can reduce costs for intermittent workloads by optimizing resource usage. Unlike the standard Consumption plan, Flex Consumption lets you set higher memory limits without paying for idle time, making it more cost-effective for functions that run sporadically but require more memory when active.
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.
- ✗
Switch to Premium plan with pre-warmed instances
Why it's wrong here
Fixed cost is higher for intermittent workloads.
- ✓
Migrate to Flex Consumption plan with higher memory
Why this is correct
Flex Consumption allows memory optimization to reduce execution time and cost.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use an App Service plan with Always On
Why it's wrong here
Always On keeps the app running, increasing cost.
- ✗
Deploy to Azure Container Instances
Why it's wrong here
ACI charges per second, may not be cheaper.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume higher memory always increases cost, but in Flex Consumption, higher memory can reduce execution time and overall cost for intermittent workloads, while options like Premium or App Service plans introduce fixed costs that are wasteful for sporadic usage.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Flex Consumption plan introduces the ability to set per-function memory up to 4 GB and adjust concurrency, which can reduce cold start latency and improve throughput for bursty workloads. Under the hood, it uses a dynamic scale controller that allocates instances based on event-driven triggers, but unlike the standard Consumption plan, it allows you to reserve a minimum number of instances (though not required), providing a balance between cost and performance. In real-world scenarios, a data processing function that runs every few hours with large payloads benefits from higher memory to process faster, reducing total execution time and cost.
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-204 question test?
Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions — This question tests Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Migrate to Flex Consumption plan with higher memory — The Flex Consumption plan allows you to configure per-instance memory and concurrency settings, which can reduce costs for intermittent workloads by optimizing resource usage. Unlike the standard Consumption plan, Flex Consumption lets you set higher memory limits without paying for idle time, making it more cost-effective for functions that run sporadically but require more memory when active.
What should I do if I get this AZ-204 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
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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