- A
Scheduled analytics rule and a playbook
Why wrong: Scheduled analytics rules can create incidents but do not directly trigger playbooks without an automation rule. Thus, this combination is insufficient.
- B
Automation rule and a playbook
Correct. An automation rule can be configured to trigger a playbook when a high-severity incident is created, enabling email notification and assignment.
- C
Fusion rule and a playbook
Why wrong: Incorrect. Fusion rules correlate alerts into incidents but do not support triggering automated responses like playbooks.
- D
Watchlist and an automation rule
Why wrong: A watchlist is a data source for reference, not a trigger. An automation rule alone cannot perform the actions; a playbook is needed.
Question 373 of 1,639
Automation Rule vs Fusion Rule for Incident Response in Microsoft Sentinel
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of mitigate threats using microsoft sentinel. 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.
A SOC team uses Microsoft Sentinel and wants to automate the response to high-severity incidents. When a new incident of severity 'High' is created, they need to send an email notification to the on-call analyst and assign the incident to that analyst. Which two components must be configured together to achieve this? (Choose the best answer.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
✓
Automation rule and a playbook
To automate response to high-severity incidents, a playbook is required to perform actions like sending email and assigning the incident. An automation rule can trigger a playbook based on incident creation and conditions such as severity. Fusion rules are designed for alert fusion and do not support automated responses directly. Therefore, only the combination of an automation rule and a playbook (Option B) achieves the goal.
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.
- ✗
Scheduled analytics rule and a playbook
Why it's wrong here
Scheduled analytics rules can create incidents but do not directly trigger playbooks without an automation rule. Thus, this combination is insufficient.
- ✓
Automation rule and a playbook
Why this is correct
Correct. An automation rule can be configured to trigger a playbook when a high-severity incident is created, enabling email notification and assignment.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Fusion rule and a playbook
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Fusion rules correlate alerts into incidents but do not support triggering automated responses like playbooks.
- ✗
Watchlist and an automation rule
Why it's wrong here
A watchlist is a data source for reference, not a trigger. An automation rule alone cannot perform the actions; a playbook is needed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Candidates may mistakenly think Fusion rules can trigger playbooks, but Fusion rules are for alert correlation and do not support automated response actions. Only automation rules or analytics rules with incident creation can trigger playbooks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Automation rules in Sentinel evaluate incident properties (e.g., severity, title, tag) and can invoke playbooks (Azure Logic Apps) via HTTP triggers. The playbook uses connectors like Office 365 Outlook to send email and the Microsoft Sentinel connector to update the incident owner. Under the hood, the automation rule creates a subscription to the incident creation event, and when matched, it asynchronously calls the playbook's callback URL, passing the incident context as a JSON payload.
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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Sentinel — This question tests Mitigate threats using Microsoft Sentinel — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Automation rule and a playbook — To automate response to high-severity incidents, a playbook is required to perform actions like sending email and assigning the incident. An automation rule can trigger a playbook based on incident creation and conditions such as severity. Fusion rules are designed for alert fusion and do not support automated responses directly. Therefore, only the combination of an automation rule and a playbook (Option B) achieves the goal.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SC-200 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 SC-200 exam.
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