Quick Answer
The answer is conditions, actions, and locations. These three elements define a DLP policy in Microsoft Purview because conditions specify which sensitive data to look for—such as credit card numbers or health records—actions determine what happens when that data is detected, like blocking an email or sending a notification, and locations define where the policy applies, such as Exchange Online, SharePoint, or OneDrive. On the MS-102 exam, this question tests your understanding that a policy is incomplete without all three; a common trap is forgetting that actions are mandatory for enforcement, not optional. Remember it as the "CAL" framework: Conditions identify the data, Actions enforce the rule, and Locations scope the coverage.
This MS-102 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage a microsoft 365 tenant. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You need to configure Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) to prevent sensitive data from being shared via email. Which THREE elements can you use to define the policy?
Actions
Actions define the enforcement (e.g., block, notify).
Locations
Locations specify where the policy applies.
Sensitivity labels
Why wrong: Labels can be used as conditions but are not required elements of a DLP policy.
Exceptions
Why wrong: Exceptions are optional and not required.
Conditions
Conditions are required to identify sensitive data.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Actions
Actions are a required element in a Microsoft Purview DLP policy because they define what happens when sensitive data is detected—such as blocking the email, sending a notification, or applying encryption. Without specifying actions, the policy would have no enforcement mechanism to prevent data sharing.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Actions
Why this is correct
Actions define the enforcement (e.g., block, notify).
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Locations
Why this is correct
Locations specify where the policy applies.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Sensitivity labels
Why it's wrong here
Labels can be used as conditions but are not required elements of a DLP policy.
Exceptions
Why it's wrong here
Exceptions are optional and not required.
Conditions
Why this is correct
Conditions are required to identify sensitive data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse sensitivity labels as a top-level policy element instead of recognizing they are merely a condition type, while exceptions are often mistakenly considered a separate core component rather than a refinement of conditions.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, a DLP policy in Microsoft Purview is composed of a policy object that contains one or more rules, each rule having a set of conditions (e.g., content contains sensitive info type, sender domain) and a set of actions (e.g., block, notify). Locations specify where the policy is enforced (Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams chat/channel messages), and the policy engine evaluates conditions against content at those locations before triggering actions.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — This question tests Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Actions — Actions are a required element in a Microsoft Purview DLP policy because they define what happens when sensitive data is detected—such as blocking the email, sending a notification, or applying encryption. Without specifying actions, the policy would have no enforcement mechanism to prevent data sharing.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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