An Azure study plan becomes more useful when each session ends with an observable result. “Review networking” is difficult to assess. “Explain why this test connection is allowed or denied” gives you evidence of understanding.
Microsoft’s AZ-104 study guide lists skills measured from April 17, 2026. It covers identity and governance, storage, compute, networking, and monitoring. Check its current version before choosing lessons, because familiar course titles can conceal older coverage.
Design a lab around one question
A small lab should have a starting state, an intended change, and a way to verify the result. For example, an access exercise might ask whether a test identity can perform a narrowly specified action at a particular scope.
Record the expected result before testing. If you only inspect the outcome afterward, it is easy to explain away a surprising result without discovering the mistaken assumption that produced it.
Use a dedicated learning environment and track costs. A study exercise does not need production data or a large deployment to test a basic administrative concept.
Try AZ-104 practice questions after reviewing a topic to see whether you can apply it with different details.
Lab idea one: identify the scope
Describe a hypothetical resource hierarchy in your notes. Select one resource and one task, then state the scope at which access would apply. Next, compare that scope with a broader one.
The learning goal is to explain which resources the assignment concerns, not to memorize a portal screenshot. If an exam question changes the resource group or subscription, the reasoning should still work.
Lab idea two: explain a connection result
Start with a simple networking question and list the relevant layers you need to inspect. Keep name resolution, addressing, routes, and security rules as separate possible causes.
If a connection fails, do not change every setting at once. In a controlled lab, test one hypothesis and record what the result rules out. Changing several variables can make the connection work while leaving you unable to explain why.
Lab idea three: prove that monitoring answers a question
Decide what you want to know: whether an event occurred, how a metric changed, or whether an alert condition was met. Then identify the evidence that would answer it.
The existence of a dashboard is not sufficient. Your study note should say which signal matters and how you would interpret it. This creates a link between administrative configuration and operational use.
Connect labs with question practice
Use this AZ-104 study guide as a topic organizer, then place your own lab notes beside each area. After a practice question, identify whether a short experiment could resolve the concept you missed.
Before moving on, explain the lab without relying on button locations: the requirement, the chosen scope, the expected behavior, and the verification. That explanation remains useful when interfaces change and prepares you to reason about a new scenario rather than repeat a remembered sequence of clicks.