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 Microsoft Sentinel workspace is ingesting data from multiple sources. You need to ensure that data from a specific source is retained for 2 years while other data remains at the default retention. What should you do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a custom table for that source and set its retention to 2 years.
In Microsoft Sentinel, retention is set at the table level. By creating a custom table for the specific data source and configuring its retention period to 2 years, you can override the default workspace retention for that table only. This allows other tables to retain the default retention setting while the custom table retains data for the required duration.
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.
✓
Create a custom table for that source and set its retention to 2 years.
Why this is correct
Custom tables allow per-table retention policies.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Adjust the data ingestion settings for that source.
Why it's wrong here
Ingestion settings do not control retention.
✗
Set the workspace retention to 2 years.
Why it's wrong here
This would apply to all data, not just one source.
✗
Configure archiving for that source's data.
Why it's wrong here
Archiving is for storing data after retention, not setting different retention.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume retention is set globally at the workspace level, but Microsoft Sentinel allows per-table retention, which is the correct method for applying different retention policies to different data sources.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, each table in a Log Analytics workspace has its own `retentionInDays` property, which can be set via the Azure portal, API, or PowerShell. The default workspace retention is 30 days (or up to 730 days with a paid plan), but custom tables can have a retention period up to 730 days (2 years) as well. A real-world scenario is when you need to keep security audit logs from a specific firewall for compliance (2 years) but only need general application logs for 30 days — custom table retention allows this granularity without affecting other data.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
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: Create a custom table for that source and set its retention to 2 years. — In Microsoft Sentinel, retention is set at the table level. By creating a custom table for the specific data source and configuring its retention period to 2 years, you can override the default workspace retention for that table only. This allows other tables to retain the default retention setting while the custom table retains data for the required duration.
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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Question Discussion
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