The answer is an AWS S3 bucket and an AWS Simple Queue Service (SQS) queue. The S3 bucket is required because AWS CloudTrail logs must be delivered to an S3 bucket as a prerequisite for ingestion; Microsoft Sentinel’s AWS CloudTrail data connector reads log files directly from that bucket using the S3 REST API, making the bucket the essential storage and access point. The SQS queue is then needed to trigger ingestion by notifying Sentinel when new log files arrive, enabling near-real-time processing. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this tests your understanding of the data connector’s architecture—specifically that the S3 bucket stores the logs while the SQS queue automates the ingestion trigger, a common trap being to assume only the bucket is needed. Remember the pairing: S3 stores, SQS notifies—think “bucket for bulk, queue for cue.”
SC-100 Practice Question: Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Which TWO components are required to enable Microsoft Sentinel to ingest data from Amazon Web Services (AWS) CloudTrail?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
An AWS S3 bucket to store CloudTrail logs.
Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail logs must be delivered to an S3 bucket as a prerequisite for ingestion into Microsoft Sentinel. Sentinel's AWS CloudTrail data connector reads log files directly from the S3 bucket using the S3 REST API, making the bucket the required storage and access point for the logs.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
An Azure Function to pull logs from AWS.
Why it's wrong here
Not required; the connector uses SQS.
✓
An AWS S3 bucket to store CloudTrail logs.
Why this is correct
The connector reads logs from S3.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
An AWS Lambda function to process logs.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is not used in the standard connector.
✓
An AWS Simple Queue Service (SQS) queue to trigger ingestion.
Why this is correct
SQS notifies Sentinel of new logs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
An Azure Event Hubs namespace to receive logs.
Why it's wrong here
Event Hubs is for Azure sources.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume an Azure Function or Event Hubs is needed for cross-cloud ingestion, but Sentinel's native AWS connector uses S3 and SQS directly, eliminating the need for intermediary compute or messaging services.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The AWS CloudTrail data connector in Sentinel uses the SQS queue (Option D) to receive S3 event notifications when new log files are written, triggering the ingestion pipeline. The SQS queue acts as a reliable, scalable notification mechanism that avoids polling the S3 bucket, ensuring near-real-time ingestion without additional compute resources. In a multi-account AWS environment, this architecture allows centralized log collection by pointing multiple CloudTrail trails to a single S3 bucket and SQS queue.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — This question tests Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: An AWS S3 bucket to store CloudTrail logs. — Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail logs must be delivered to an S3 bucket as a prerequisite for ingestion into Microsoft Sentinel. Sentinel's AWS CloudTrail data connector reads log files directly from the S3 bucket using the S3 REST API, making the bucket the required storage and access point for the logs.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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