Secure Azure using Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
AZ-500 Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server Practice Question
A company uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud to protect its hybrid workloads. Security administrators report that critical alerts for SQL servers are not appearing in the Defender for Cloud dashboard. The SQL servers are on-premises and have Azure Arc enabled. Which configuration step should be verified first?
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
✓
Enable the 'SQL servers on machines' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud
For on-premises SQL servers with Azure Arc, the 'SQL servers on machines' plan must be enabled in Microsoft Defender for Cloud to surface alerts. Without enabling this plan, alerts for SQL servers will not appear. Options A and C are related to agent deployment and policy assignment, but the first step is to ensure the plan is enabled. Option B is unrelated as Azure Firewall logs are not required for SQL-specific alerts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Deploy the Log Analytics agent to the SQL servers
Why it's wrong here
Deploying the Log Analytics agent to the SQL servers is a data collection task that feeds logs and performance metrics into the workspace, but it does not by itself enable security alerts. The core issue is that the Defender for Cloud plan for SQL servers must be enabled first; once enabled, the agent is typically auto-provisioned, and its deployment alone without the plan leaves the SQL resources unmonitored for threats. Therefore, this is not the appropriate initial action.
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Configure Azure Firewall logs for SQL traffic
Why it's wrong here
Configuring Azure Firewall logs for SQL traffic is intended for analyzing network flows through the firewall and is unrelated to SQL server security alerts in Defender for Cloud. SQL-specific alerts are generated by Defender for SQL's engine, which evaluates SQL audit logs and activity patterns, not firewall telemetry. Since the problem is missing SQL server alerts, this option does not address the root cause and is irrelevant to enabling the required security plan.
- ✗
Assign the 'Configure Azure Defender for SQL agents on virtual machines' policy
Why it's wrong here
The 'Configure Azure Defender for SQL agents on virtual machines' policy is designed for Azure virtual machines, not for Azure Arc-enabled on-premises SQL servers. This policy deploys the agent to Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines resources, whereas Arc-enabled SQL instances are represented as different resource types. Additionally, assigning a policy to configure the agent is not equivalent to enabling the 'SQL servers on machines' plan in Defender for Cloud; the plan enrollment must happen first to trigger the appropriate security monitoring.
- ✓
Enable the 'SQL servers on machines' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Why this is correct
Enabling the 'SQL servers on machines' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud is the prerequisite that activates threat detection for Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server instances. This plan, part of Defender for Cloud's enhanced security features, turns on SQL-specific alerts, vulnerability assessments, and advanced threat protection for on-premises and multi-cloud SQL servers. Without this plan enabled, no SQL server security alerts will be generated regardless of other configurations, so this is the required first step.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-500 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-500 exam.