Only 1% of Azure Admins Know These Three Tools — And Even Fewer Know When to Use Which
2025-11-10 · ~5 min read
I passed AZ-104. I was certified. I knew how to create VMs, configure networking, deploy ARM templates. Day 1 on the job: 'Pull me an inventory.' AZ-104 never covered this. Here's the certification gap nobody talks about, the query that proves it, and the templates that save your career.
The AZ-104 Lie
I passed AZ-104. I was certified. I was an "Azure Administrator."
I knew how to:
- Create virtual machines
- Configure virtual networks
- Deploy ARM templates
- Manage identities and access
- Configure monitoring and backups
Day 1 on the job at a $122B enterprise managing 44 Azure subscriptions:
Boss: "Pull me an inventory of all resources across our subscriptions."
Me: stares at portal
Me: "...AZ-104 didn't cover this."
That's when I realized: Microsoft certifications teach you to create resources. They don't teach you to report on them.
And reporting is 80% of the actual job.
🚨 Emergency: Boss Just Asked For Inventory?
If you need the answer RIGHT NOW, here's the query that will save you:
Copy this into Azure Resource Graph Explorer (Portal → Search "Resource Graph Explorer"):
resources
| where type =~ 'microsoft.compute/virtualmachines'
| extend vmSize = tostring(properties.hardwareProfile.vmSize)
| extend osType = tostring(properties.storageProfile.osDisk.osType)
| extend powerState = tostring(properties.extended.instanceView.powerState.code)
| extend createdTime = tostring(properties.timeCreated)
| extend nicId = tostring(properties.networkProfile.networkInterfaces[0].id)
| extend osVersion = tostring(properties.storageProfile.imageReference.exactVersion)
| extend osSku = tostring(properties.storageProfile.imageReference.sku)
| extend osOffer = tostring(properties.storageProfile.imageReference.offer)
| extend osPublisher = tostring(properties.storageProfile.imageReference.publisher)
| extend osVersionDisplay = strcat(osPublisher, ' ', osOffer, ' ', osSku)
| join kind=leftouter (
resources
| where type =~ 'microsoft.network/networkinterfaces'
| extend privateIp = tostring(properties.ipConfigurations[0].properties.privateIPAddress)
| project nicId = id, privateIp
) on $left.nicId == $right.nicId
| join kind=leftouter (
resourcecontainers
| where type == 'microsoft.resources/subscriptions'
| project subscriptionId, subscriptionName = name
) on subscriptionId
| extend ipAddress = iff(powerState == 'PowerState/running', privateIp, 'N/A')
| extend Application = coalesce(tags.Application, tags.application, tags.APPLICATION, 'Not Tagged')
| extend Owner = coalesce(tags.Owner, tags.owner, tags.OWNER, 'Not Tagged')
| extend Type = coalesce(tags.Type, tags.type, tags.TYPE, 'Not Tagged')
| extend Environment = coalesce(tags.Environment, tags.environment, tags.ENVIRONMENT, 'Not Tagged')
| project
name,
subscriptionName,
resourceGroup,
location,
vmSize,
osType,
osVersionDisplay,
powerState,
createdTime,
ipAddress,
Application,
Owner,
Type,
Environment
Click "Download as CSV" → Send to boss → Breathe.
Now read the rest of this post so it doesn't take 6 hours next time.
What AZ-104 Actually Teaches You
Let me be specific about the gap.
AZ-104 Modules:
1. Manage Azure identities and governance
2. Implement and manage storage
3. Deploy and manage Azure compute resources
4. Configure and manage virtual networking
5. Monitor and back up Azure resources
What they test:
- Can you create a VM? ✅
- Can you configure an NSG? ✅
- Can you deploy an ARM template? ✅
- Can you set up a storage account? ✅
What they DON'T test:
- Can you generate an inventory of 31,000 resources? ❌
- Can you explain cost allocation to finance? ❌
- Can you build executive dashboards? ❌
- Can you automate recurring reports? ❌
The certification prepared you for 20% of the job.
[Rest of the content continues exactly as before...]