AZ-900 Describe Azure management and governance Practice Question
A company uses Azure Blueprints to define a standard environment for all new development subscriptions. The blueprint includes a set of Azure policies, role assignments, and resource templates. However, after applying the blueprint, some resources are created that do not comply with the policies. The company wants to be notified of these non-compliant resources without blocking their creation. Which Azure Policy effect should be used in the blueprint?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose Deny because they assume compliance must be enforced, but the question explicitly requires non-blocking notification, making Audit the only effect that logs non-compliance without preventing resource creation.
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
✓
Audit
The Audit effect is correct because it enables Azure Policy to evaluate resources against the defined policies and log compliance warnings in the activity log without blocking resource creation. This meets the requirement to be notified of non-compliant resources while allowing them to be created.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Audit
Why this is correct
The Audit effect in Azure Policy evaluates resources against the policy definition and writes a compliance event to the activity log without blocking the resource deployment or modification. This log entry can trigger Azure Monitor alerts and notifications, giving the company visibility into non-compliant resources. Since the company only wants to be notified, Audit is the correct effect because it does not interfere with the operator's workflow.
- ✗
Deny
Why it's wrong here
The Deny effect in Azure Policy actively rejects the resource creation or update by returning a denial response from the API, such as a 403 Forbidden error. This would completely block the deployment of any resource that does not meet the standard environment criteria, which is not what the company wants. Because the company only requires notification of non-compliance, Deny is too aggressive and would disrupt legitimate operations that may need temporary exceptions.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where the requirement is to prevent creation of non-compliant resources entirely, such as 'A company wants to ensure that no resources are created without required tags. Which policy effect should be used?'
- ✗
Append
Why it's wrong here
The Append effect in Azure Policy automatically adds extra fields or settings to a resource during creation or update, like mandatory tags or default security configurations, to bring it into compliance. It does not generate any notification or alert about non-compliance; instead, it silently mutates the resource before it is provisioned. Therefore, Append fails to meet the requirement to notify the company, as it makes changes rather than reporting violations.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where the goal is to automatically add a tag (e.g., cost center) to any resource that lacks it during creation, without blocking the resource if the tag is missing, would make Append the correct answer.
- ✗
DeployIfNotExists
Why it's wrong here
The DeployIfNotExists effect in Azure Policy checks if a dependent resource or configuration exists and, if not, triggers a remediation deployment to create or configure it automatically. This requires a managed identity and a deployment template, and it actively fixes the non-compliance rather than simply logging it. Since the company only wants to be notified, this effect is overly complex and takes corrective action that the company did not ask for.
When this WOULD be correct
DeployIfNotExists would be correct in a scenario where the company wants to automatically deploy a required resource (e.g., a network security group) if it is missing, without blocking the creation of the main resource.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓AuditCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
The Audit effect in Azure Policy evaluates resources against the policy definition and writes a compliance event to the activity log without blocking the resource deployment or modification. This log entry can trigger Azure Monitor alerts and notifications, giving the company visibility into non-compliant resources. Since the company only wants to be notified, Audit is the correct effect because it does not interfere with the operator's workflow.
✗DenyWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The 'Deny' effect blocks creation of non-compliant resources, but the question requires that resources are created and then notified about non-compliance, not blocked.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where the requirement is to prevent creation of non-compliant resources entirely, such as 'A company wants to ensure that no resources are created without required tags. Which policy effect should be used?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think 'Deny' is the only way to enforce compliance, overlooking the 'Audit' effect for non-blocking notification.
✗AppendWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Append effect adds additional fields or configurations to a resource during creation or update, but it does not provide notifications for non-compliant resources; it modifies the resource to meet policy, which contradicts the requirement to not block creation.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where the goal is to automatically add a tag (e.g., cost center) to any resource that lacks it during creation, without blocking the resource if the tag is missing, would make Append the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Append with Audit because both can run during resource creation, but Append seems like a way to 'fix' non-compliance, leading them to overlook that it modifies resources rather than just reporting.
✗DeployIfNotExistsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
DeployIfNotExists is used to automatically remediate non-compliant resources by deploying additional resources, not to simply notify. The question requires notification without blocking creation, which Audit provides.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
DeployIfNotExists would be correct in a scenario where the company wants to automatically deploy a required resource (e.g., a network security group) if it is missing, without blocking the creation of the main resource.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse DeployIfNotExists with Audit because both can trigger on non-compliance, but DeployIfNotExists focuses on remediation rather than notification.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Azure Cost Management and Billing
Key term
Blueprint
A blueprint in IT certification is a document that outlines the topics, skills, and weighting for an exam, telling you exactly what to study.
Key term
Role
A role is a named set of permissions that can be assigned to users or groups to control access to resources in an IT environment.
About these practice questions
This AZ-900 question is part of Courseiva's 981-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-900 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-900 exam.