Azure dashboards - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ service_behavior

intermediate

Understanding Azure Dashboard Sharing Behavior

You create a dashboard in Azure and share it with a colleague by assigning them Reader role on the dashboard resource. What will your colleague be able to do?

A Edit the dashboard layout and add new tiles.

B View the dashboard and interact with its tiles but cannot edit or delete it.

C Delete the dashboard from the Azure portal.

D Share the dashboard with other users.

💡 Hint

Think about what the Reader role allows in Azure.

The Reader role allows viewing resources but does not permit editing or deleting. Therefore, your colleague can see and interact with the dashboard but cannot change or share it.

❓ Architecture

intermediate

Best Practice for Organizing Multiple Azure Dashboards

You manage multiple Azure dashboards for different teams in your organization. What is the best way to organize and manage these dashboards to ensure proper access and easy maintenance?

A Create dashboards in a shared resource group and assign team-specific access using Azure RBAC on each dashboard.

B Create all dashboards under your personal subscription and share the dashboard URL with teams.

C Export dashboards as JSON files and email them to each team for local use.

D Create dashboards only in the default Azure portal dashboard and rely on portal filters.

💡 Hint

Consider how Azure RBAC and resource groups help with access control and organization.

Creating dashboards in a shared resource group and assigning team-specific access via RBAC ensures proper security and easier management compared to personal subscriptions or manual sharing.

❓ Configuration

advanced

JSON Configuration for a Tile Showing VM CPU Usage

Which JSON snippet correctly configures an Azure dashboard tile to show the average CPU usage of a specific virtual machine over the last 24 hours?

A { "type": "Metrics", "resourceId": "/subscriptions/123/resourceGroups/rg1/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/vm1", "metricNamespace": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines", "metricName": "CPUPercentage", "timeRange": "PT24H", "aggregation": "Average" }

B { "type": "Metrics", "resourceId": "/subscriptions/123/resourceGroups/rg1/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/vm1", "metricNamespace": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines", "metricName": "CPU Usage", "timeRange": "P1D", "aggregation": "Average" }

C { "type": "Metrics", "resourceId": "/subscriptions/123/resourceGroups/rg1/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/vm1", "metricNamespace": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines", "metricName": "Percentage CPU", "timeRange": "24h", "aggregation": "Avg" }

D { "type": "Metrics", "resourceId": "/subscriptions/123/resourceGroups/rg1/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/vm1", "metricNamespace": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines", "metricName": "Percentage CPU", "timeRange": "PT24H", "aggregation": "Average" }

💡 Hint

Check the exact metric name and time range format used by Azure Monitor metrics.

The correct metric name is "Percentage CPU" and the time range uses ISO 8601 duration format "PT24H" for 24 hours. Aggregation should be "Average".

❓ security

advanced

Preventing Unauthorized Dashboard Modifications

You want to ensure that only specific users can modify an Azure dashboard, while others can only view it. Which approach enforces this securely?

A Assign <strong>Owner</strong> role to users who can modify and <strong>Reader</strong> role to users who can view the dashboard resource.

B Share the dashboard URL with all users and rely on portal UI to restrict editing.

C Assign <strong>Contributor</strong> role to all users and instruct them not to edit unless authorized.

D Create separate dashboards for each user and do not share them.

💡 Hint

Think about Azure RBAC roles and their permissions.

Owner role allows full management including editing, while Reader role only allows viewing. This separation enforces permissions securely.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

Impact of Dashboard Resource Location on Access and Performance

You create an Azure dashboard resource in the East US region but most users accessing it are located in West Europe. What is the likely impact of this setup?

A Dashboard data will automatically replicate to West Europe to improve performance.

B Users in West Europe will be denied access because the dashboard is in a different region.

C Dashboard load times may be slower for West Europe users due to network latency, but access permissions remain unaffected.

D Azure will charge extra for cross-region dashboard access.

💡 Hint

Consider how Azure handles resource location and user access globally.

Azure dashboards are regional resources, but access is global. Network latency can affect load times, but permissions are based on Azure AD and RBAC, not region.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of an Azure dashboard?

easy

A. To manage user access permissions

B. To provide a single view of cloud resources and their status

C. To write code for Azure functions

D. To create virtual machines

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Azure dashboard role

   Azure dashboards show a combined view of your cloud resources and their health.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Options A, B, and D describe other Azure features, not dashboards.

3. Final Answer:

   To provide a single view of cloud resources and their status -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Dashboard = resource overview [OK]

Hint: Dashboards show resource status in one place [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing dashboards with coding or VM creation
• Thinking dashboards manage permissions
• Assuming dashboards are for resource creation

2. Which of the following is the correct way to add a tile to an Azure dashboard?

easy

A. Click 'Add tile' and select the resource or metric to display

B. Write a JSON script in the dashboard editor

C. Use Azure CLI to create a dashboard tile

D. Upload a CSV file with resource data

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall dashboard customization steps

   Adding a tile is done by clicking 'Add tile' and choosing what to show.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Options B, C, and D are not standard ways to add tiles in the Azure portal dashboard UI.

3. Final Answer:

   Click 'Add tile' and select the resource or metric to display -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Add tile = click and select [OK]

Hint: Add tiles via dashboard UI, no coding needed [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to add tiles by scripting or CLI
• Uploading files instead of using UI
• Confusing tile addition with resource creation

3. You have created a dashboard with a metric tile showing CPU usage. What will happen if the monitored VM is deleted?

medium

A. The tile will continue showing old data indefinitely

B. The tile will automatically show data from another VM

C. The dashboard will delete itself

D. The tile will show an error or no data

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand dashboard tile data source

   Tiles depend on live data from resources; if the VM is deleted, data stops.

2. Step 2: Analyze tile behavior on resource deletion

   The tile cannot show data from another VM automatically, nor does the dashboard delete itself. Old data is not kept indefinitely.

3. Final Answer:

   The tile will show an error or no data -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Deleted VM = tile error/no data [OK]

Hint: Deleted resource tiles show errors, no auto-switch [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming tiles auto-switch to other resources
• Thinking dashboards delete with resources
• Believing tiles keep old data forever

4. You tried to share your Azure dashboard with a colleague, but they cannot see any tiles. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The colleague lacks permission to view the underlying resources

B. The dashboard was not saved before sharing

C. Azure dashboards cannot be shared

D. The colleague's browser does not support Azure portal

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand sharing requirements

   Sharing a dashboard requires the viewer to have access to the resources shown.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Dashboards can be saved and shared; browser support is broad; lack of permissions is the common cause of missing tiles.

3. Final Answer:

   The colleague lacks permission to view the underlying resources -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing tiles = permission issue [OK]

Hint: Check viewer permissions if tiles are missing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming dashboards cannot be shared
• Forgetting to save before sharing
• Blaming browser compatibility first

5. You want to create a dashboard that shows CPU usage, memory usage, and network traffic for multiple VMs in different subscriptions. What is the best approach?

hard

A. Create a dashboard in each subscription separately and switch between them

B. Create a single dashboard in your home subscription and add tiles from all subscriptions using resource IDs

C. Use Azure Monitor workbooks instead of dashboards for cross-subscription views

D. Export VM metrics to Excel and manually combine data

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cross-subscription dashboard limits

   Azure dashboards do not natively support tiles from multiple subscriptions in one dashboard.

2. Step 2: Identify best tool for cross-subscription monitoring

   Azure Monitor workbooks allow combining data from multiple subscriptions in one view.

3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

   Creating separate dashboards or manual Excel exports are less efficient; adding tiles from other subscriptions directly is not supported.

4. Final Answer:

   Use Azure Monitor workbooks instead of dashboards for cross-subscription views -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Cross-subscription = use workbooks [OK]

Hint: Use workbooks for multi-subscription monitoring [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to add tiles from multiple subscriptions in one dashboard
• Relying on manual data exports
• Not knowing about Azure Monitor workbooks