If you are preparing for the AZ-104 exam, you know how challenging it can be to study and remember all the important topics and concepts. The exam covers a wide range of Azure services and features, and it can be overwhelming to keep track of all the information. You should know that the Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) exam is the new pathway to becoming Microsoft Azure Administrator replacing the AZ-103 exam. However, the AZ-104 certification exam is designed for measuring the candidate’s skills as an Azure Administrator. And, the skills included can be implementing, managing, and monitoring identity in a cloud environment.
That’s where this cheat sheet comes in handy. It is a condensed version of the most critical information you need to know for the exam. This cheat sheet is designed to help you quickly review and refresh your memory on key concepts, terminology, and best practices. It covers topics like Azure infrastructure, networking, storage, virtual machines, and more.
By using this cheat sheet in conjunction with your study materials, you can significantly improve your chances of passing the AZ-104 exam on your first try. So, whether you’re new to Azure or an experienced administrator, this cheat sheet is a valuable resource that can help you achieve your certification goals. Let’s dive in!
How to prepare your own Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) Cheat Sheet?
Preparing a cheat sheet can be a useful way to consolidate important information and exam topics that you need to remember for the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification exam. Here are the steps you can follow to prepare your own AZ-104 cheat sheet:
- Understand the exam objectives: The first step is to understand the exam objectives, which are listed on the official Microsoft website. These objectives will give you a good idea of the topics you need to cover on your cheat sheet.
- Organize your cheat sheet: Once you have a clear understanding of the exam objectives, organize your cheat sheet into categories such as Azure services, networking, security, storage, and management. This will help you easily navigate and quickly find the information you need during the exam.
- Include important concepts and commands: Next, add important concepts and commands related to each category. For example, under Azure services, you might include information on virtual machines, web apps, and SQL databases. Under networking, you might include information on virtual networks, subnets, and network security groups.
- Use visuals and diagrams: Visual aids can be helpful in remembering key concepts and relationships between Azure services. Consider adding diagrams or flowcharts to your cheat sheet to help you visualize how different Azure services work together.
- Practice using your cheat sheet: Once your cheat sheet is complete, use it to practice answering practice questions or scenarios. This will help you become familiar with the information on your cheat sheet and reinforce your understanding of the exam topics.
Remember, while a cheat sheet can be a useful study tool, it’s important to thoroughly understand the exam objectives and underlying concepts in order to pass the AZ-104 certification exam.
Glossary for Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate Terminology
- Azure: A cloud computing service provided by Microsoft that offers a wide range of services, including compute, storage, networking, and analytics.
- Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): A cloud-based identity and access management service that provides single sign-on and multi-factor authentication.
- Virtual Machine (VM): A virtualized instance of a computer system that can run its own operating system and applications.
- Azure Virtual Machines: A service in Azure that enables the creation and management of virtual machines.
- Blob Storage: A type of storage service in Azure that is optimized for storing large amounts of unstructured data, such as text or binary data.
- Azure Cosmos DB: A globally distributed, multi-model database service that provides NoSQL data storage capabilities.
- Azure Site Recovery: A disaster recovery service in Azure that provides continuous replication and recovery of applications and workloads.
- Azure Backup: A cloud-based backup and recovery solution that provides protection for data and applications.
- Azure Load Balancer: A service in Azure that distributes incoming network traffic across multiple virtual machines to improve availability and scalability.
- Azure Traffic Manager: A service in Azure that enables the routing of incoming traffic to different endpoints based on various rules and policies.
- Azure App Service: A platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering in Azure that enables the deployment and management of web applications and services.
- Azure Functions: A serverless computing service in Azure that enables the execution of code in response to events or triggers.
- Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): A fully managed service in Azure that enables the deployment and management of containerized applications using Kubernetes.
- Azure DevOps: A suite of tools and services in Azure that enable the development, testing, and deployment of applications.
- Azure Monitor: A monitoring and management service in Azure that provides insights into the performance and health of applications and workloads.
How to prepare for Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) exam?
Preparing for the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) exam involves a combination of studying Azure fundamentals, understanding core Azure services, and hands-on experience with the Azure platform. Here are some steps you can take to prepare for the exam:
- Review the exam objectives: Familiarize yourself with the exam objectives outlined by Microsoft. The exam objectives can be found on the official Microsoft AZ-104 exam page.
- Take an Azure fundamentals course: Before diving into more advanced topics, it’s important to have a good understanding of Azure fundamentals. Microsoft offers a free course on Azure fundamentals that can be accessed here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/azure-fundamentals/
- Study core Azure services: The AZ-104 exam focuses on Azure services related to computing, storage, networking, and security. Study the core services and concepts for each of these areas. Microsoft provides documentation and tutorials for each service on their official Azure documentation site: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/
- Practice with hands-on labs: Microsoft provides a number of free hands-on labs that allow you to get practical experience with Azure. You can access these labs here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/azure/
- Take practice exams: Practice exams can help you assess your knowledge and identify areas where you may need to focus more study. Microsoft offers a practice exam for the AZ-104 exam here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/exam-AZ-104.aspx#practice-exams
- Join an Azure community: Joining an Azure community can help you stay up-to-date with the latest news and best practices. Microsoft provides an official Azure community forum here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/community/
Links:
- Official Microsoft AZ-104 exam page: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/az-104
- Azure fundamentals course: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/azure-fundamentals/
- Azure documentation site: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/
- Hands-on labs: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/azure/
- Practice exam: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/exam-AZ-104.aspx#practice-exams
- Azure community forum: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/community/
Knowledge Required
Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) exam is developed for facilitating candidates planning a career as Azure Administrator. However, there are certain knowledge areas that you have to fulfill for this exam,
- Firstly, a minimum of six months of hands-on experience administering Azure is essential.
- Secondly, there must be a strong understanding of core Azure services, Azure workloads, security, and governance.
- Thirdly, experience in using PowerShell, the Command Line Interface, Azure Portal, and ARM templates.
AZ-104: Prerequisite Lessons for Azure Administrators
Below, you can see the list of lessons that you can get familiar with before applying for Azure Administrator AZ-104 exam.
- Firstly, Learn governance and Management in Azure
- Secondly, Intro to Azure Virtual Machines
- Thirdly, Networking Fundamentals
- Then, Network Security
- Next, Using Azure CLI to control azure services
- After that, Using Azure Powershell to automate azure tasks
- Then, Introduction to Azure Active Directory
- Next, Intro to Docker Containers
- After that, Intro to data storage in azure
- Lastly, Learn data storage approach in azure
Check out the AZ-104 study guide for better preparation!
Above we have understood the essential requirements and quick brief about the Azure AZ-104 exam. Now, moving on to the important part of the blog that is the preparation guide. Moreover, this is the part where you will spend most of the time in this cheat sheet. So, let’s check this.
Microsoft Azure AZ-104 Study Guide
In the Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) exam study guide, we will cover the topmost areas of learning resources that you can use to have a good revision. Moreover, this includes Microsoft documentation links that directly take you to the exam topic you want to learn about. Let’s start with the guide and help you to prepare in a better way. Get ready to attain the AZ-104 passing score and become a Microsoft Azure Administrator Now!
Exam Topics AZ-104
This cheat is all about providing a quick recap of things you already have knowledge about. And, the important thing to start with is the exam objectives for the AZ-104 exam. That is to say, would be best to first go through the Microsoft exam objectives to maintain that familiarity with the exam important areas. Doing so will fill up your mind with the Microsoft Azure AZ-104 topics and skills. Also, reviewing the exam objectives will leave no space for confusion in your head and you can focus move for further revisions. Moreover, the exam objectives can help you strengthen the modules and the respective subtopics. For the Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) exam, below we will learn about the important AZ-104 exam topics.
Module 1: Manage Azure identities and governance (20-25%)
1.1 Manage Microsoft Entra users and groups
- Create users and groups (Microsoft Documentation: Add or delete users using Azure Active Directory)
- Manage user and group properties
- Manage licenses in Microsoft Entra ID
- Manage external users
- Configure self-service password reset (SSPR) (Microsoft Documentation: Tutorial: Enable users to unlock their account or reset passwords using Azure Active Directory self-service password reset)
1.2 Manage access to Azure resources
- Manage built-in Azure roles
- Assign roles at different scopes
- Interpret access assignments
1.3 Manage Azure subscriptions and governance
- Implementing and managing Azure policy (Microsoft Documentation: Create and manage policies to enforce compliance)
- Configuring resource locks (Microsoft Documentation: Lock resources to prevent unexpected changes)
- Apply and manage tags on resources (Microsoft Documentation: Use tags to organize your Azure resources and management hierarchy)
- Managing resource groups (Microsoft Documentation: Move resources to a new resource group or subscription)
- Managing subscriptions (Microsoft Documentation: Organize and manage multiple Azure subscriptions)
- Manage costs by using alerts, budgets, and Azure Advisor recommendations (Microsoft Documentation: Use cost alerts to monitor usage and spending)
- Configuring management groups (Microsoft Documentation: Create management groups for resource organization and management)
Module 2: Implement and manage storage (15-20%)
2.1 Configure access to storage
- Configure Azure Storage firewalls and virtual networks
- Create and use shared access signature (SAS) tokens
- Configure stored access policies
- Manage access keys (Microsoft Documentation: Manage storage account access keys)
- Configure identity-based access for Azure Files
2.2 Configure and manage storage accounts
- Create and configure storage accounts
- Configure Azure Storage redundancy (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Storage redundancy)
- Configure object replication (Microsoft Documentation: Configure object replication for block blobs)
- Configure storage account encryption
- Manage data by using Azure Storage Explorer and AzCopy (Microsoft Documentation: Get started with AzCopy)
2.3 Configure Azure files and Azure blob storage
- Create and configure a file share in Azure Storage (Microsoft Documentation: Create an Azure file share)
- Create and configure a container in Blob Storage
- Configure storage tiers (Microsoft Documentation: Hot, Cool, and Archive access tiers for blob data)
- Configure snapshots and soft delete for Azure Files
- Configure blob lifecycle management (Microsoft Documentation: Configure a lifecycle management policy)
- Configure blob versioning
Module 3: Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20-25%)
3.1 Automate deployment of resources by using Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates or Bicep files
- Interpret an Azure Resource Manager template or a Bicep file
- Modify an existing Azure Resource Manager template
- Modify an existing Bicep file
- Deploy resources by using an Azure Resource Manager template or a Bicep file
- Export a deployment as an Azure Resource Manager template or convert an Azure Resource Manager template to a Bicep file
3.2 Create and configure Virtual Machines
- Create a Virtual Machine (Microsoft Documentation: Create a Windows virtual machine)
- Configure Azure Disk Encryption (Microsoft Documentation: Create and encrypt a Windows virtual machine with the Azure portal)
- Move a virtual machine to another resource group, subscription, or region (Microsoft Documentation: Move a Windows VM to another Azure subscription or resource group)
- Manage virtual machines sizes (Microsoft Documentation: Sizes for virtual machines in Azure)
- Add virtual machines disks
- Deploy virtual machines to availability zones and availability sets
- Deploy and configure an Azure Virtual Machines scale sets (Microsoft Documentation: Create a virtual machine scale set in the Azure portal)
3.3 Provision and manage containers in the Azure portal
- Create and manage an Azure container registry
- Provision a container by using Azure Container Instances
- Provision a container by using Azure Container Apps
- Manage sizing and scaling for containers, including Azure Container Instances and Azure Container Apps
3.4 Create and configure Azure App Service
- Provision an App Service plan
- Configure scaling for an App Service plan
- Create an App Service (Microsoft Documentation: App Service overview)
- Configure certificates and Transport Layer Security (TLS) for an App Service
- Map an existing custom DNS name to an App Service
- Configure a backup for an App Service (Microsoft Documentation: Back up and restore your app in Azure App Service)
- Configuring networking settings for an App Service (Microsoft Documentation: Configuring the Network)
- Configure deployment slots for an App Service
Module 4: Implement and manage virtual networking (15–20%)
4.1 Configure and manage virtual networks in Azure
- Create and configure virtual networks and subnets (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Virtual Network)
- Create and configure virtual network peering (Microsoft Documentation: Virtual network peering)
- Configure public IP addresses
- Configure user-defined network routes (Microsoft Documentation: Virtual network traffic routing)
- Troubleshoot network connectivity
4.2 Configure secure access to virtual networks
- Create and configure network security groups (NSGs) and application security groups (Microsoft Documentation: Network security groups)
- Evaluate effective security rules in NSGs (Microsoft Documentation: Effective security rules view in Azure Network Watcher)
- Implement Azure Bastion (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Bastion)
- Configure service endpoints for Azure platform as a service (PaaS)
- Configure private endpoints for Azure PaaS(Microsoft Documentation: private endpoint)
4.3 Configure name resolution and load balancing
- Configure Azure DNS
- Configure an internal or public load balancer (Microsoft Documentation: Create an internal load balancer)
- Troubleshoot load balancing (Microsoft Documentation: Troubleshoot Azure Load Balancer)
Module 5: Monitor and Maintain Azure resources (10-15%)
5.1 Monitor resources in Azure
- Interpret metrics in Azure Monitor (Microsoft Documentation: Metrics in Azure Monitor)
- Configure log settings in Azure Monitor (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Monitor Logs overview)
- Query and analyze logs in Azure Monitor(Microsoft Documentation: Get started with log queries in Azure Monitor)
- Set up alert rules, action groups, and alert processing rules in Azure Monitor (Microsoft Documentation: Create, view, and manage metric alerts using Azure Monitor)
- Configure and interpret monitoring of virtual machines, storage accounts, and networks by using Azure Monitor Insights (Microsoft Documentation: VM insights)
- Use Azure Network Watcher and Connection Monitor
5.2 Implement backup and recovery
- Create a Recovery Services vault (Microsoft Documentation: Create and configure a Recovery Services vault)
- Create Azure backup vault (Microsoft Documentation: Backup vaults overview)
- Create and configure backup policy
- Perform backup and restore operations by using Azure Backup (Microsoft Documentation: restore Azure VM data in Azure portal)
- Configure Azure Site Recovery for Azure resources (Microsoft Documentation: Azure to Azure disaster recovery architecture)
- Perform failover to a secondary region by using Site Recovery (Microsoft Documentation: Failover Azure VMs to a secondary region)
- Configure and interpret reports and alerts for backups (Microsoft Documentation: Configure Azure Backup reports)
Learn how to pass AZ-104 Exam with Practice Test
Microsoft Instructor Led Training
For any certification, having the right source of training is important. However, for the Microsoft AZ-104 exam training, you will get Instructor-led training that is basically an online training course to covering up the basic understanding of the skills that are required for the exam. There are various modules covered in this training so, you can go through them. Moreover, there are two instructor-led training courses for AZ-104 included with the lab for adding support and exhibiting the structure of various application scenarios. So, let’s have a look at them.
- Firstly, Microsoft Azure Administrator
- Then, Azure Administration for AWS SysOps
Reference Books
Books are the most important ingredient while you prepare for your certification exam. Moreover, this can be very beneficial during revision time. As you can easily locate the topic you want to check and learn. Related to the exam, there are some excellent AZ-104 books ruling the market for years that you can use or refer to study. Some of the books are:
- Firstly, Exam Ref AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator by Harshul Patel, Michael Washam, Jonathan Tuliani
- Secondly, Hands-On Cloud Administration in Azure by Mustafa Toroman
Online Forums
Joining online forums is a great idea to boost your preparation process as they help you meet different people who are on the same road as you. They provide you the advantage to ask your queries immediately and receive the response in a prompt manner. Online forums are generally headed by industry experts or certified professionals. But the idea to join an online forum is completely subjective. There is no such compulsion for the same.
Assess yourself with AZ-104 Practice Tests
Practice tests are important for better preparation as by assessing yourself with these tests you will know about your weak and strong areas. You can start taking AZ-104 exam practice tests as this will not help you to assess or evaluate yourself. Moreover, it will improve your answering skills as well which will result in saving a lot of time. And, the best way to start doing AZ-104 practice tests is after completing one full topic as this will provide a good revision. Lastly, just make sure to study well and crack the exam.
