Question 461 of 969

Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to ingress security-critical logs to the Analytics logs tier with 365-day retention and other logs to the Auxiliary logs tier with shorter retention. This is correct because the Analytics logs tier supports full KQL query capabilities and allows you to set a 365-day retention period to meet compliance requirements, while the Auxiliary logs tier (formerly Basic logs) offers lower ingestion costs and shorter retention, reducing overall data ingestion expenses. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this tests your understanding of Sentinel’s log retention tiers and cost optimization strategies, often appearing as a scenario where you must balance compliance with budget constraints. A common trap is assuming all logs must go to the same tier, but the key is tiering based on query needs and retention duration. Memory tip: think “Analytics for analysis, Auxiliary for auxiliary savings.”

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. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.

Your organization uses Microsoft Sentinel to aggregate logs from on-premises and cloud sources. You need to reduce the cost of data ingestion while ensuring security-critical logs are retained for at least one year. What should you do?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
Archive all logs to Azure Storage after 90 days
Why wrong: Archiving to storage reduces cost but loses native query capabilities in Sentinel.
B
Ingress security-critical logs to the Analytics logs tier with 365-day retention, and other logs to the Auxiliary logs tier with shorter retention
Auxiliary logs tier is for verbose logs at lower cost, while Analytics logs provide full capabilities and longer retention for critical data.
C
Use the Basic logs tier for all logs and set retention to 365 days
Why wrong: Basic logs tier has lower cost but limited analytics; security-critical logs may need full analytics.
D
Set the default retention to 30 days and export logs to Log Analytics Workspace
Why wrong: 30-day retention is insufficient for one-year requirement.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Ingress security-critical logs to the Analytics logs tier with 365-day retention, and other logs to the Auxiliary logs tier with shorter retention

Option B is correct because it leverages the Analytics logs tier for security-critical logs, which supports full KQL query capabilities and allows setting a 365-day retention period to meet compliance requirements. Other logs can be sent to the Auxiliary logs tier (formerly Basic logs), which offers lower ingestion costs and shorter retention, reducing overall data ingestion expenses while still retaining necessary logs for security analysis.

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.

✗
Archive all logs to Azure Storage after 90 days
Why it's wrong here
Archiving to storage reduces cost but loses native query capabilities in Sentinel.
✓
Ingress security-critical logs to the Analytics logs tier with 365-day retention, and other logs to the Auxiliary logs tier with shorter retention
Why this is correct
Auxiliary logs tier is for verbose logs at lower cost, while Analytics logs provide full capabilities and longer retention for critical data.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use the Basic logs tier for all logs and set retention to 365 days
Why it's wrong here
Basic logs tier has lower cost but limited analytics; security-critical logs may need full analytics.
✗
Set the default retention to 30 days and export logs to Log Analytics Workspace
Why it's wrong here
30-day retention is insufficient for one-year requirement.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse the Basic logs tier (now Auxiliary logs) with a cost-saving measure for all logs, not realizing that security-critical logs require the Analytics tier for full functionality, and that tiered retention policies can be applied per table to balance cost and compliance.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

In Microsoft Sentinel, the Analytics logs tier supports full KQL queries, scheduled alerts, and UEBA, making it essential for security-critical logs, while the Auxiliary logs tier (formerly Basic logs) is designed for high-volume, low-value logs with reduced query capabilities and lower ingestion cost. Retention policies are set at the table level within the Log Analytics workspace, allowing granular control: security tables (e.g., SecurityEvent, CommonSecurityLog) can have 365-day retention, while auxiliary tables (e.g., custom logs) can have shorter retention. This tiered approach is a key cost-optimization strategy in Sentinel, as ingestion costs are based on the log tier and retention duration, not just storage.

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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SC-100 question test?

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: Ingress security-critical logs to the Analytics logs tier with 365-day retention, and other logs to the Auxiliary logs tier with shorter retention — Option B is correct because it leverages the Analytics logs tier for security-critical logs, which supports full KQL query capabilities and allows setting a 365-day retention period to meet compliance requirements. Other logs can be sent to the Auxiliary logs tier (formerly Basic logs), which offers lower ingestion costs and shorter retention, reducing overall data ingestion expenses while still retaining necessary logs for security analysis.

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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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