MS-102 Regulatory record Practice Question
Your organization uses Microsoft Purview Records Management. You need to ensure that records are marked as regulatory records and cannot be deleted or modified by any user, including administrators. The records must be retained for 10 years. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
MS-102 often tests the difference between a record and a regulatory record; candidates often pick 'record' because it sounds strict, but only 'regulatory record' prevents administrators from removing the label.
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
✓
Use a retention label marked as a regulatory record.
A retention label configured as a regulatory record provides the highest level of immutability: it prevents any user, including administrators, from deleting or modifying the item, and the label itself cannot be removed or changed once applied. This meets the requirement that records cannot be deleted or modified by anyone. The 10-year retention period is set on the label.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use a retention label marked as a regulatory record.
Why this is correct
A regulatory record label enforces immutability at the platform level: once applied, the item cannot be modified or deleted by anyone, including administrators, satisfying the stem's absolute protection requirement. It also supports a 10-year retention period, unlike standard records, which administrators can still remove.
- ✗
Create a retention policy with a preservation lock.
Why it's wrong here
A retention policy with a preservation lock restricts changes to the policy itself, not individual items, and cannot mark content as a regulatory record; that designation requires a retention label configured as a regulatory record. Preservation locks suit locking down policy scope, not per-item immutability.
- ✗
Use a retention label marked as a record.
Why it's wrong here
A standard record label permits administrators to remove or unlock the label, so deletion and modification remain possible. Regulatory records, which block even admins, require the regulatory record option rather than a plain record label.
- ✗
Apply a default retention label to the SharePoint library.
Why it's wrong here
A default retention label applies retention settings automatically, but labels configured as regulatory records must be published or auto-applied through label policies; a SharePoint library default alone does not enforce the regulatory record declaration preventing even administrators from modifying or deleting items.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Microsoft Purview Portal Overview
Key term
Retention label
A retention label is a tag applied to emails, documents, or files in Microsoft 365 that tells the system how long to keep the item and what to do with it when the time is up.
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.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.