How to Configure a Retention Policy to Prevent Permanent Deletion in SharePoint Online
A compliance officer needs to ensure that no user can permanently delete a document from a specific SharePoint Online site. The document must be kept for at least 5 years. Which Microsoft Purview solution should the officer configure?
Quick Answer
The answer is a retention policy for the site with a retention period of 5 years and the action set to 'Retain'. This is correct because a retention policy configured with the 'Retain' action places a legal hold on the content, moving deleted documents into the Preservation Hold library where they become immutable and cannot be permanently deleted by any user or automated process, ensuring the 5-year minimum retention is enforced. On the MS-102 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Microsoft Purview retention policies differ from labels and litigation hold, with a common trap being to select a deletion-based policy or a label that only applies metadata. Remember that to prevent permanent deletion in SharePoint Online, the retention policy must explicitly use the 'Retain' action rather than 'Delete' or 'Retain and then Delete'. A useful memory tip is "Retain to restrain deletion"—if the action is set to retain, the item is locked in the Preservation Hold library for the full duration.
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse retention policies with sensitivity labels or eDiscovery holds, assuming that any retention setting or legal hold prevents deletion, but only a retention policy with the 'Retain' action provides the specific immutable retention and deletion prevention required for a fixed period like 5 years.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
B: Retention policy for the site with retention period of 5 years and action set to 'Retain'.
A retention policy with the 'Retain' action ensures that documents in the SharePoint site are preserved for the specified period and cannot be permanently deleted by users or system processes. This meets the compliance requirement of a 5-year minimum retention and prevents permanent deletion, as retained items are moved to the Preservation Hold library.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A: Sensitivity label with a retention period of 5 years.
Why it's wrong here
Sensitivity labels with retention can be removed or overwritten by users; they do not guarantee that deletion is blocked.
- ✓
B: Retention policy for the site with retention period of 5 years and action set to 'Retain'.
Why this is correct
A retention policy applied at the site level prevents permanent deletion of content during the retention period, meeting the requirement.
- ✗
C: DLP policy to prevent deletion of documents.
Why it's wrong here
DLP policies are not designed to block deletion; they protect data from being shared externally.
- ✗
D: eDiscovery hold on the site.
Why it's wrong here
eDiscovery holds are for legal preservation and are not intended for routine retention; they also don't automatically delete after 5 years.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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Microsoft 365 Tenant Setup
Key term
Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance and compliance service that helps organizations discover, manage, and protect their data across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
Key term
Retention policy
A retention policy is a set of rules that determines how long an organization keeps its data and what happens to it when the retention period expires.
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Variation 1. A compliance officer needs to ensure that all documents in a SharePoint Online site are retained for 5 years and then automatically deleted. During the retention period, users must be allowed to edit the documents but not delete them. Which Microsoft Purview solution should the officer configure?
medium- ✓ A.Create a retention policy with a retention rule for 5 years, configured to retain then delete, and enable the preservation hold setting.
- B.Create a retention label with the action to retain for 5 years then delete, and apply it to the site via auto-labeling.
- C.Create a sensitivity label with encryption and set an expiration date for 5 years.
- D.Place the site on an eDiscovery hold with a custom retention period.
Why A: A retention policy with a 'retain then delete' action meets both requirements: it retains documents for 5 years and then automatically deletes them. Retention policies also preserve content against user deletion during the retention period by automatically applying a hold on the site, preventing permanent deletion. This policy applies at the site level, ensuring all content is covered without requiring manual labeling.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This MS-102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the MS-102 exam.