Microsoft Sentinel Automation Rule — Assign Incident Owner Based on Custom Property
You are configuring a Microsoft Sentinel automation rule to automatically assign incidents to a specific owner based on a custom property. Which action type should you use?
Quick Answer
The answer is the Assign owner action type. This is correct because when you need to automatically assign incident owner based on a custom property in a Microsoft Sentinel automation rule, the Assign owner action directly modifies the incident’s Owner field, allowing you to map a value from a custom property—such as a tag or custom field—to a specific user or group. On the SC-200 exam, this question tests your understanding of automation rule action types and their distinct purposes; a common trap is confusing Assign owner with Run playbook, which triggers a Logic App instead of directly setting ownership. Remember that Assign owner is the only action that changes the incident’s owner property, while Change status updates the incident state and Create ticket (preview) sends data to an external system. For a quick memory tip: think “Owner = Assign owner” to avoid mixing it up with other actions that automate workflows but not ownership.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse 'Assign owner' with 'Run playbook', thinking a playbook is required to change the owner, but Sentinel provides a native action for this simple property change without needing a Logic App.
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
✓
Assign owner
The 'Assign owner' action type is specifically designed to change the owner of an incident in Microsoft Sentinel. When you need to automatically assign incidents to a specific owner based on a custom property (e.g., a tag or custom field), this action directly modifies the incident's 'Owner' property. Other action types serve different purposes: 'Run playbook' executes a logic app, 'Change status' updates the incident's status (e.g., New, Active, Closed), and 'Create ticket (preview)' creates an external ticket in a connected ticketing system.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run playbook
Why it's wrong here
Run playbook launches a Logic App and cannot assign an incident owner; ownership changes require the Assign owner action. Playbooks are tempting because they automate response, and would be correct for enrichment, containment or notification tasks rather than setting the incident owner.
- ✓
Assign owner
Why this is correct
The Assign owner action changes an incident's owner to a specified user or group, satisfying the requirement to route incidents based on a custom property. Automation rules evaluate trigger conditions, then execute this action to set ownership automatically.
- ✗
Change status
Why it's wrong here
Changing status alters the incident's lifecycle state, such as moving it from New to Active, and leaves the owner field untouched. It is tempting because status transitions are common automation actions, and it would be correct when the requirement is to progress or close incidents automatically once a condition is met.
- ✗
Create ticket (preview)
Why it's wrong here
Creating a ticket hands the incident to an external ITSM tool such as ServiceNow; it never sets the Sentinel incident's owner property. It is tempting because ticketing is a genuine automation action, and it would be right when the requirement is to raise a synchronised work item in an external system rather than reassign within Sentinel.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SC-200
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your organization uses Microsoft Sentinel. You need to automatically assign incidents to the appropriate SOC tier based on severity. What should you create?
easy- A.A data connector to Microsoft Teams
- B.A scheduled analytics rule
- C.A playbook in Microsoft Power Automate
- ✓ D.An automation rule with an owner assignment action
Why D: Automation rules in Microsoft Sentinel allow you to automatically assign incidents to specific owners based on conditions like severity, using the 'Assign owner' action. This directly meets the requirement to route incidents to the appropriate SOC tier without manual intervention, leveraging Sentinel's native incident management capabilities.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.