- A
Remove unused data connectors.
Why wrong: Removing connectors reduces coverage.
- B
Switch to a pay-as-you-go workspace.
Why wrong: Sentinel costs are separate from workspace tier.
- C
Configure some tables to use Basic Logs tier.
Basic Logs are cheaper for ingestion.
- D
Move older logs to Azure Storage archive tier.
Archiving reduces retention cost.
- E
Reduce workspace retention to 30 days for all tables.
Why wrong: May delete logs needed for compliance.
Question 856 of 1,639
SC-200 Manage a security operations environment Practice Question
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. 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 actions can reduce the cost of Microsoft Sentinel while maintaining security coverage?
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
✓
Configure some tables to use Basic Logs tier.
Option C is correct because configuring tables to use the Basic Logs tier reduces ingestion costs for high-volume, verbose logs (e.g., from firewalls or DNS servers) while still retaining the data for security analysis. Basic Logs are stored at a lower cost per GB but have reduced query capabilities (e.g., no interactive full-text search, limited to KQL summarization). This allows you to keep security coverage by retaining the logs for detection and investigation, albeit with a different query pattern.
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.
- ✗
Remove unused data connectors.
Why it's wrong here
Removing connectors reduces coverage.
- ✗
Switch to a pay-as-you-go workspace.
Why it's wrong here
Sentinel costs are separate from workspace tier.
- ✓
Configure some tables to use Basic Logs tier.
Why this is correct
Basic Logs are cheaper for ingestion.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Move older logs to Azure Storage archive tier.
Why this is correct
Archiving reduces retention cost.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Reduce workspace retention to 30 days for all tables.
Why it's wrong here
May delete logs needed for compliance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse reducing retention (Option E) with cost savings, but Microsoft explicitly warns that deleting logs can break detection rules and incident investigations, whereas tiering (Basic Logs or archive) preserves data for compliance and hunting at a lower cost.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Basic Logs tier uses a different storage and indexing mechanism than Analytics Logs, resulting in lower ingestion cost (approximately 25% of Analytics Logs) but with a 30-day retention included and no support for interactive queries like `search` or `find`; queries must use `summarize` or aggregate functions. The archive tier (Option D) moves older logs to Azure Storage, which is cheaper than Log Analytics retention, but you must use Azure Data Explorer or other tools to query them, and there is a 30-day rehydration delay for interactive access. In practice, you might combine Basic Logs for high-volume, low-value logs (e.g., Windows Event 4625) and archive for logs older than 90 days to balance cost and coverage.
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.
Visual reference
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
Manage a security operations environment — This question tests Manage a security operations environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure some tables to use Basic Logs tier. — Option C is correct because configuring tables to use the Basic Logs tier reduces ingestion costs for high-volume, verbose logs (e.g., from firewalls or DNS servers) while still retaining the data for security analysis. Basic Logs are stored at a lower cost per GB but have reduced query capabilities (e.g., no interactive full-text search, limited to KQL summarization). This allows you to keep security coverage by retaining the logs for detection and investigation, albeit with a different query pattern.
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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