Quick Answer
The answer is a storage account, Network Watcher, and the NSG flow logs feature enabled on the NSG itself. These three components must be in place because NSG flow logs capture IP traffic data through the Network Watcher agent, which writes the logs to a designated Azure Storage account. Without enabling the flow logs feature on the NSG, no data is generated, making this the critical action that triggers logging. On the AZ-305 exam, this tests your understanding of the monitoring and observability pillar, often appearing as a multi-select question where candidates mistakenly choose Log Analytics workspaces or traffic analytics as required components—these are optional for analysis, not for enabling the logs themselves. A common trap is assuming enabling Network Watcher alone suffices, but the NSG-level toggle is what starts the flow. Remember the mnemonic “SAN” for Storage, Agent (Network Watcher), and NSG toggle to recall the three must-enable components.
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions. 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.
You have an Azure subscription that contains a virtual network named VNet1. You need to monitor all network security group (NSG) flow logs. Which three components must you enable? (Select THREE.)
Azure Network Watcher
Why wrong: Network Watcher is the service, not a component to enable.
Log Analytics workspace
Why wrong: Log Analytics is used by Traffic Analytics, but not mandatory for basic flow logs.
Network security group flow logs
NSG flow logs must be enabled to capture traffic.
Traffic Analytics
Traffic Analytics provides insights from flow logs.
A storage account
Flow logs are stored in a storage account.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Network security group flow logs
Network security group flow logs must be explicitly enabled on the NSG to capture IP traffic data. Without enabling this feature, no flow log data is generated regardless of other components. The question asks which components must be enabled, and enabling NSG flow logs is the direct action that starts logging.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Azure Network Watcher
Why it's wrong here
Network Watcher is the service, not a component to enable.
Log Analytics workspace
Why it's wrong here
Log Analytics is used by Traffic Analytics, but not mandatory for basic flow logs.
Network security group flow logs
Why this is correct
NSG flow logs must be enabled to capture traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Traffic Analytics
Why this is correct
Traffic Analytics provides insights from flow logs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
A storage account
Why this is correct
Flow logs are stored in a storage account.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often assume Azure Network Watcher must be manually enabled, but it is regionally auto-enabled, and they may also confuse the optional Traffic Analytics and Log Analytics workspace as mandatory components for basic flow log collection.
Detailed technical explanation
NSG flow logs are stored as JSON blobs in an Azure Storage account, which is the required destination for the raw logs. Traffic Analytics is an optional add-on that ingests these logs into a Log Analytics workspace for advanced querying and visualization; without it, you can still download and parse the JSON files directly from the storage account. The flow log version 2 includes per-flow statistics like bytes and packets, which are critical for network troubleshooting.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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
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FAQ
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — This question tests Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Network security group flow logs — Network security group flow logs must be explicitly enabled on the NSG to capture IP traffic data. Without enabling this feature, no flow log data is generated regardless of other components. The question asks which components must be enabled, and enabling NSG flow logs is the direct action that starts logging.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This AZ-305 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-305 exam.
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