- A
Disable the playbook
Why wrong: Disabling the playbook stops all its actions, including legitimate ones.
- B
Remove the playbook from the automation rule
Why wrong: Removing the playbook stops all its actions, which may be needed.
- C
Modify the analytics rule to not automatically close incidents
This prevents the playbook from closing incidents automatically.
- D
Disable the automation rule that triggers the playbook
Why wrong: This disables all actions triggered by that rule, not just closure.
Preventing Automatic Incident Closure in Microsoft Sentinel — Modify Analytics Rule Settings
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. 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. A security analyst reports that an incident was automatically closed by a playbook before the investigation was complete. What should you do to prevent automatic closure in the future?
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
Modify the analytics rule to not automatically close incidents
Option C is correct because the analytics rule that generates the incident includes a setting to automatically close incidents when an alert is triggered again. Modifying this setting prevents the incident from being closed prematurely, regardless of any playbook or automation rule. This ensures that incidents remain open for investigation until manually resolved.
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.
- ✗
Disable the playbook
Why it's wrong here
Disabling the playbook stops all its actions, including legitimate ones.
- ✗
Remove the playbook from the automation rule
Why it's wrong here
Removing the playbook stops all its actions, which may be needed.
- ✓
Modify the analytics rule to not automatically close incidents
Why this is correct
This prevents the playbook from closing incidents automatically.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Disable the automation rule that triggers the playbook
Why it's wrong here
This disables all actions triggered by that rule, not just closure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often focus on the playbook or automation rule as the cause of the closure, overlooking the analytics rule's built-in auto-close setting, which is the actual source of the behavior.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Microsoft Sentinel, analytics rules have a configuration option called 'Alert grouping' and 'Automatically close incident' under the 'Incident settings' tab. When enabled, this setting closes the incident if a new alert matching the same grouping criteria is generated. This behavior is independent of playbooks or automation rules, meaning even if no playbook runs, the incident can be auto-closed. Understanding this distinction is critical for incident lifecycle management in SOC operations.
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.
Visual reference
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
Respond to security incidents — This question tests Respond to security incidents — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Modify the analytics rule to not automatically close incidents — Option C is correct because the analytics rule that generates the incident includes a setting to automatically close incidents when an alert is triggered again. Modifying this setting prevents the incident from being closed prematurely, regardless of any playbook or automation rule. This ensures that incidents remain open for investigation until manually resolved.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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