The correct answer is to set the retention period to 90 days and configure a data export rule to send logs older than 90 days to Azure Blob Storage. This works because Microsoft Sentinel’s Log Analytics workspace allows you to define an interactive retention period for active investigation, and then automatically archive older logs to a low-cost Azure storage account using a data export rule, which meets the five-year compliance requirement without deleting data. On the SC-200 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the difference between interactive retention, long-term retention via data export, and diagnostic settings—a common trap is confusing data export rules with diagnostic settings, which only forward new logs, not archived ones. Remember that data export rules are the only native way to move aged logs out of Log Analytics while preserving them for compliance. For a quick memory tip: think “90 days live, 5 years archive—export, don’t delete.”
SC-200 Manage a security operations environment Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of manage a security operations environment. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
You have a Microsoft Sentinel workspace that ingests logs from multiple sources. The log analytics workspace is in the East US region. You have a requirement to keep logs for 90 days for active investigation, then archive them to an Azure storage account for compliance for 5 years. What should you configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set the retention period to 90 days and configure a data export rule to send logs older than 90 days to Azure Blob Storage
Option C is correct because Azure Log Analytics allows you to set a retention policy and then enable data archiving to Azure storage using a data export rule. Option A deletes logs after 90 days. Option B is for interactive retention only. Option D is for diagnostic settings, not for archiving after retention.
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 the retention period to 90 days and configure a data export rule to send logs older than 90 days to Azure Blob Storage
Why this is correct
Data export rules can continuously export data to storage after the retention period expires.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Set the retention period to 5 years and use purging for data older than 90 days
Why it's wrong here
This would keep data in the workspace for 5 years, which is costly and not archival.
✗
Set the retention period to 90 days and enable 'Archive' in the workspace retention settings
Why it's wrong here
Log Analytics does not have an 'Archive' setting; you must use data export.
✗
Configure diagnostic settings to send logs to storage with a retention of 90 days
Why it's wrong here
This sends logs at ingestion time, not after retention.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 retention period to 90 days and configure a data export rule to send logs older than 90 days to Azure Blob Storage — Option C is correct because Azure Log Analytics allows you to set a retention policy and then enable data archiving to Azure storage using a data export rule. Option A deletes logs after 90 days. Option B is for interactive retention only. Option D is for diagnostic settings, not for archiving after retention.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 Microsoft Sentinel workspace ingests logs from multiple regions. You need to reduce data ingestion costs while ensuring that all security events are retained for at least one year for compliance. Which two actions should you take? (Choose two.)
hard
✓ A.Configure the table's plan to 'Analytics' for security events and set a retention policy of 90 days, then create an archive policy for up to 1 year.
✓ B.Set the retention policy on the SecurityEvent table to 365 days.
C.Configure the diagnostic setting to send security logs to a separate low-cost storage account.
D.Use Basic Logs for the SecurityEvent table to reduce costs.
Why A: Options A and B are correct. Option A reduces costs by archiving less frequently accessed data. Option B enables long-term retention beyond the default. Option C is incorrect because Basic Logs are for debugging, not security events. Option D is incorrect because the diagnostic setting should be separate for security events.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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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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