- A
Set an archiving policy to move SigninLogs to cold storage after 1 year.
Why wrong: Archiving policy moves data to long-term storage but is not necessary if retention is set to 7 years.
- B
Set the workspace retention to 7 years.
Workspace retention must be at least as long as the longest table-level retention.
- C
Enable Azure Data Explorer (ADX) for long-term storage.
Why wrong: ADX is not required; table-level retention within Log Analytics is sufficient.
- D
Configure table-level retention for SigninLogs to 7 years.
Table-level retention allows specific tables to have longer retention.
- E
Ensure that the workspace is in a region that supports 7-year retention.
Some regions may have retention limits; you need to verify compliance.
Question 263 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.
Your organization uses Microsoft Sentinel and you are designing a data retention strategy. You have a Log Analytics workspace with the following tables: SecurityEvent, SigninLogs, and CommonSecurityLog. The compliance team requires that SigninLogs be retained for 7 years, while other tables can be retained for 1 year. Which THREE steps must you take to meet this requirement?
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
✓
Set the workspace retention to 7 years.
Option B is correct because setting the workspace retention to 7 years ensures that all tables in the workspace, including SigninLogs, are retained for the maximum required period. However, this alone would also retain other tables longer than needed, so you must combine it with table-level retention to override the workspace setting for specific tables. This approach allows you to meet the 7-year compliance requirement for SigninLogs while keeping other tables at 1 year.
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.
- ✗
Set an archiving policy to move SigninLogs to cold storage after 1 year.
Why it's wrong here
Archiving policy moves data to long-term storage but is not necessary if retention is set to 7 years.
- ✓
Set the workspace retention to 7 years.
Why this is correct
Workspace retention must be at least as long as the longest table-level retention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable Azure Data Explorer (ADX) for long-term storage.
Why it's wrong here
ADX is not required; table-level retention within Log Analytics is sufficient.
- ✓
Configure table-level retention for SigninLogs to 7 years.
Why this is correct
Table-level retention allows specific tables to have longer retention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Ensure that the workspace is in a region that supports 7-year retention.
Why this is correct
Some regions may have retention limits; you need to verify compliance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think archiving (Option A) or external services like ADX (Option C) are required for long-term retention, when in fact Log Analytics supports up to 7 years of native retention with table-level granularity, making workspace and table-level settings the correct combination.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Log Analytics supports both workspace-level and table-level retention settings, where table-level retention overrides the workspace default for specific tables. The maximum retention for a Log Analytics workspace is 7 years, and you can configure table-level retention to be shorter (e.g., 1 year) for tables like SecurityEvent and CommonSecurityLog, while keeping SigninLogs at 7 years. This is achieved via the Azure portal or API using the 'retentionInDays' property on the table, and the data is stored in the same workspace without needing external services.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: Set the workspace retention to 7 years. — Option B is correct because setting the workspace retention to 7 years ensures that all tables in the workspace, including SigninLogs, are retained for the maximum required period. However, this alone would also retain other tables longer than needed, so you must combine it with table-level retention to override the workspace setting for specific tables. This approach allows you to meet the 7-year compliance requirement for SigninLogs while keeping other tables at 1 year.
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
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