Quick Answer
The answer is the Azure Activity Log, which is the correct service for collecting and storing administrative actions in Azure subscriptions with a retention requirement of seven years. This is because the Azure Activity Log, now integrated into Azure Monitor, automatically captures all control-plane operations such as create, update, and delete actions on Azure resources, and by configuring a diagnostic setting, you can stream these logs to a Log Analytics workspace or Azure Storage for long-term retention up to seven years. On the Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of logging and monitoring design for compliance and governance, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose Azure Resource Logs (which cover data-plane operations) or Azure Policy (which enforces rules but does not log actions). A key memory tip is to associate “administrative actions” with “control-plane” and remember that Activity Log is the default source for all subscription-level management events, with retention extended via diagnostic settings to meet long-term compliance needs.
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.
Your company requires that all administrative actions in Azure subscriptions be logged and retained for seven years. Which service should you use to collect and store these logs?
Azure Monitor Metrics
Why wrong: Metrics are numerical performance data, not audit logs.
Azure Resource Health
Why wrong: Resource Health shows service health, not administrative actions.
Azure Activity Log
Activity Log captures all control-plane operations and can be retained for 7 years.
Microsoft Entra ID audit logs
Why wrong: Entra ID audit logs are for identity, not Azure resource operations.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Azure Activity Log
The Azure Activity Log (now part of Azure Monitor) records all control-plane operations (create, update, delete) on Azure resources and can be retained for up to seven years by configuring a diagnostic setting to stream the logs to a Log Analytics workspace or Azure Storage. This meets the requirement for logging and long-term retention of administrative actions.
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 Monitor Metrics
Why it's wrong here
Metrics are numerical performance data, not audit logs.
Azure Resource Health
Why it's wrong here
Resource Health shows service health, not administrative actions.
Azure Activity Log
Why this is correct
Activity Log captures all control-plane operations and can be retained for 7 years.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Microsoft Entra ID audit logs
Why it's wrong here
Entra ID audit logs are for identity, not Azure resource operations.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse the Azure Activity Log (control-plane) with Microsoft Entra ID audit logs (identity-plane), or mistakenly think Azure Monitor Metrics can store long-term administrative logs instead of numerical performance data.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Resource Health shows service health, not administrative actions.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the Activity Log captures all REST API calls to the Azure Resource Manager (ARM), including the caller identity, timestamp, and request details. To retain logs for seven years, you must configure a diagnostic setting to export the Activity Log to a Log Analytics workspace (which supports up to two years by default, but can be extended via data retention policies) or to Azure Storage (which allows indefinite retention). A common real-world scenario is compliance with regulatory frameworks like PCI DSS or SOC 2, which require audit trails for all resource changes.
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: Azure Activity Log — The Azure Activity Log (now part of Azure Monitor) records all control-plane operations (create, update, delete) on Azure resources and can be retained for up to seven years by configuring a diagnostic setting to stream the logs to a Log Analytics workspace or Azure Storage. This meets the requirement for logging and long-term retention of administrative actions.
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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