MS-900 Describe Microsoft 365 apps and services Practice Question
A hospital uses Microsoft 365 E5. They need to archive patient emails for 7 years and enable legal hold for ongoing litigation. Which two Microsoft Purview features should they use? (Select TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'Litigation hold' with 'eDiscovery hold' or think that 'Data Lifecycle Management' is a standalone feature in Microsoft Purview, when in fact the correct feature for time-based retention is 'Retention policies' and for legal preservation is 'Litigation hold'.
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
✓
Retention policies
Retention policies (B) are correct because they allow the organization to define rules that preserve patient emails for a specific duration, such as 7 years, to meet regulatory compliance requirements. Litigation hold (C) is correct because it preserves all mailbox content, including deleted items, in its original state for the duration of ongoing litigation, preventing any alteration or deletion.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Sensitivity labels
Why it's wrong here
Sensitivity labels in Microsoft 365 are designed for classification and protection, enabling encryption, visual markings, and role-based access restrictions on documents and emails. They do not have any built-in function to preserve, archive, or hold content for a specific period; their purpose is to govern access and usage while an item exists. Since the hospital's need is to archive patient emails for 7 years, sensitivity labels cannot fulfill that retention requirement.
- ✓
Retention policies
Why this is correct
Retention policies in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal let administrators define how long content must be kept, such as retaining all Exchange mailbox items for 7 years before automatic deletion. These policies are centrally managed, can be scoped to specific users or groups, and can be configured to either keep content indefinitely, keep for a set period, or delete after the retention period expires. For the hospital's requirement to archive patient emails for 7 years, a retention policy is the precise and flexible solution.
- ✓
Litigation hold
Why this is correct
Litigation hold preserves every mailbox item, including soft-deleted content, by preventing permanent deletion or modification until the hold is released. It is typically enabled when a legal investigation or pending litigation exists, and it places an indefinite hold on all data in the mailbox. While this can also retain emails for 7 years, it is intended for legal preservation rather than routine operational archiving, and it may be considered a correct alternative depending on the scenario.
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Data Lifecycle Management
Why it's wrong here
Data Lifecycle Management (DLM) is not an individual Microsoft 365 feature but rather an overarching framework for managing information across its lifecycle, from creation to deletion. In Microsoft Purview, retention policies and retention labels are the actual tools that implement DLM, such as archiving emails for a fixed number of years. Selecting DLM as an answer confuses a governance concept with a deployable feature, so it is incorrect for this question.
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eDiscovery
Why it's wrong here
eDiscovery is a toolset for searching and exporting content across Microsoft 365, often used to identify evidence for legal cases. It does not apply holds or set retention periods; it only queries existing data and can preserve results by placing items on hold as part of a separate eDiscovery hold. Since the hospital needs to proactively archive all patient emails for 7 years, eDiscovery alone cannot enforce retention and therefore is not the correct solution.
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