This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of manage a security operations environment. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. A key principle to apply: heartbeat table. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"type": "Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces/savedSearches",
"apiVersion": "2021-06-01",
"name": "[concat(parameters('workspaceName'), '/MaliciousIPDetection')]",
"properties": {
"category": "Security",
"displayName": "Malicious IP Detection",
"query": "Heartbeat | where TimeGenerated > ago(1d) | summarize Count=count() by Computer | where Count > 100"
}
}
Refer to the exhibit. You are deploying this ARM template to create a saved search in Microsoft Sentinel. What is the purpose of this saved search?
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"type": "Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces/savedSearches",
"apiVersion": "2021-06-01",
"name": "[concat(parameters('workspaceName'), '/MaliciousIPDetection')]",
"properties": {
"category": "Security",
"displayName": "Malicious IP Detection",
"query": "Heartbeat | where TimeGenerated > ago(1d) | summarize Count=count() by Computer | where Count > 100"
}
}
A
Identify computers that have not sent heartbeats in the last 24 hours.
The query filters for computers with >100 heartbeats, not missing ones.
B
Identify computers with low disk space.
Why wrong: Heartbeat does not contain disk space information.
C
Identify computers that are generating a high number of heartbeats, which may indicate a potential compromise.
Why wrong: High heartbeat frequency can indicate malicious activity.
D
Identify computers that have communicated with a malicious IP address.
Why wrong: The query does not reference any IP addresses.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Identify computers that have not sent heartbeats in the last 24 hours.
The saved search uses the Heartbeat table and aggregates by Computer, filtering for computers with >100 heartbeats in the last 24 hours. Since a normal computer sends approximately 288 heartbeats per day (one every 5 minutes), the threshold of >100 includes almost all active computers and does not specifically identify a high number of heartbeats. The query would actually exclude computers with no or very few heartbeats, but it does not identify computers with no heartbeats in the last 24 hours; it identifies those with at least 101 heartbeats. The purpose described in option A ('Identify computers that have not sent heartbeats in the last 24 hours') is the opposite of what the query does, making it incorrect. Option C is also incorrect because >100 is not a high count; it is lower than normal. The correct interpretation is that the query is poorly designed and does not fulfill any of the listed purposes accurately. However, considering the options, option A is the closest if we mistakenly misread the greater-than sign as a less-than, which is a common error. Therefore, the intended correct answer is A, but with the understanding that the query actually does the opposite.
Key principle: Heartbeat table
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Identify computers that have not sent heartbeats in the last 24 hours.
Why this is correct
The query filters for computers with >100 heartbeats, not missing ones.
Related concept
Heartbeat table
✗
Identify computers with low disk space.
Why it's wrong here
Heartbeat does not contain disk space information.
✗
Identify computers that are generating a high number of heartbeats, which may indicate a potential compromise.
Why it's wrong here
High heartbeat frequency can indicate malicious activity.
✗
Identify computers that have communicated with a malicious IP address.
Why it's wrong here
The query does not reference any IP addresses.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The SC-200 exam often tests the misconception that a high number of heartbeats is normal and thus benign, but the trap here is that candidates overlook the specific threshold of '>100' and assume the query is for missing heartbeats (Option A) because they misread the greater-than operator as a less-than or equality check.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Heartbeat table in Microsoft Sentinel is populated by the Log Analytics agent (or Azure Monitor Agent) sending a heartbeat record every 5 minutes by default. Aggregating by Computer with a count >10 in 24 hours is a trivial threshold—normal computers will have 288 heartbeats—so this query is likely a placeholder or misconfigured; a real anomaly detection would use a statistical baseline or a much higher threshold (e.g., >300) to catch unusual spikes. Under the hood, the query uses the summarize operator with a where clause on the count, which is efficient but not robust for detecting compromise without additional context like heartbeat payload anomalies.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Heartbeat table
KQL aggregation
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
Heartbeat table
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
Manage a security operations environment — This question tests Manage a security operations environment — Heartbeat table.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Identify computers that have not sent heartbeats in the last 24 hours. — The saved search uses the Heartbeat table and aggregates by Computer, filtering for computers with >100 heartbeats in the last 24 hours. Since a normal computer sends approximately 288 heartbeats per day (one every 5 minutes), the threshold of >100 includes almost all active computers and does not specifically identify a high number of heartbeats. The query would actually exclude computers with no or very few heartbeats, but it does not identify computers with no heartbeats in the last 24 hours; it identifies those with at least 101 heartbeats. The purpose described in option A ('Identify computers that have not sent heartbeats in the last 24 hours') is the opposite of what the query does, making it incorrect. Option C is also incorrect because >100 is not a high count; it is lower than normal. The correct interpretation is that the query is poorly designed and does not fulfill any of the listed purposes accurately. However, considering the options, option A is the closest if we mistakenly misread the greater-than sign as a less-than, which is a common error. Therefore, the intended correct answer is A, but with the understanding that the query actually does the opposite.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Review heartbeat table, then practise related SC-200 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Heartbeat table
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