A company uses Azure Policy to enforce governance on their subscriptions. They want to ensure that every newly created Azure resource automatically receives two tags: 'Owner' and 'CostCenter'. If a user or an automated process creates a resource without specifying these tags, the policy should add the missing tags with default values of 'Unassigned' without blocking the resource creation. Which Azure Policy effect should be used in the policy definitions?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Deny
The Deny effect prevents the creation or update of resources that do not match the policy condition. This would block resource creation if tags are missing, which is not the desired behavior because the company wants to allow creation and automatically add missing tags.
Distractor review
Audit
The Audit effect creates a log entry when a resource is non-compliant but does not take any action to modify the resource. It would not add the missing tags, so it does not meet the requirement to automatically add default tags.
Best answer
Append
The Append effect is designed to add additional fields (such as tags) to a resource during creation or update. It does not block the creation; instead, it automatically applies the specified values to bring the resource into compliance. This perfectly matches the requirement to add default tags without blocking resource creation.
Distractor review
DeployIfNotExists
The DeployIfNotExists effect is used to deploy a resource (like a network security group or diagnostic setting) if the required resource does not exist. It is not suitable for adding tags to the current resource; its purpose is to provision a separate resource during evaluation.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Standard ACLs match source addresses.
- Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
- The first matching ACL entry is used.
- There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
- Check inbound versus outbound direction.
- Read the ACL from top to bottom.
- Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
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Question 2
A solutions architect is designing a storage solution for a large media company. The company needs to store video files that are accessed infrequently but must be retained for several years for compliance. Which two Azure storage options meet these requirements? (Select two.)
Question 3
A company deploys a multi-tier application using Azure virtual machines. The web tier VMs must be evenly distributed across two distinct data centers within an Azure region to avoid a single point of failure from an infrastructure outage. Which Azure construct should they use to meet this requirement?
Question 4
A company wants to enforce a set of security policies across all their Azure subscriptions. They have created several individual policy definitions. Which Azure construct should they use to group these policies together and assign them as a single package?
Question 5
A company deploys a line-of-business application on an Azure virtual machine. The IT team wants to ensure the application remains secure. According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security tasks is the sole responsibility of the customer (the company)?
Question 6
A company develops a web API that runs on Azure App Service. The development team wants to deploy a new version of the API to a staging environment, run integration tests against it, and then gradually shift production traffic to the new version. If any issues are detected, they want to immediately roll back to the previous version without redeploying. Which Azure App Service feature should the team use to meet these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Append — Azure Policy effects define what happens when a resource is evaluated against a policy. For scenarios where non-compliant resources should be automatically corrected without being blocked, the Append effect is used. The Append effect adds additional fields (like tags) to the resource during creation or update. The Deny effect would block creation entirely. The Audit effect only logs non-compliance but does not take any corrective action. The DeployIfNotExists effect is used to deploy a resource (e.g., a network security group) if it does not exist, and is not designed for adding tags.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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