SC-200 Manage a security operations environment Practice Question
Your SOC team uses Microsoft Sentinel with multiple workspaces across regions. You need to implement a solution that allows analysts to query all workspaces from a single location without moving data. Which feature should you configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse Azure Lighthouse (cross-tenant management) with cross-workspace querying, but Lighthouse does not provide the KQL-level query capability needed to query data across workspaces from a single query.
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
✓
Use cross-workspace queries with workspace() expressions in KQL.
Cross-workspace queries using the `workspace()` expression in KQL allow analysts to query multiple Log Analytics workspaces from a single query context without moving or centralizing the data. This is the native Microsoft Sentinel feature designed for multi-workspace environments, enabling seamless querying across regions while keeping data in its original workspace.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use cross-workspace queries with workspace() expressions in KQL.
Why this is correct
The workspace() expression lets a single KQL query reference tables in other Microsoft Sentinel workspaces, returning results without ingesting or replicating data. This satisfies the requirement to query all regional workspaces from one location while leaving data resident in its original region.
- ✗
Export data to Azure Data Explorer and query there.
Why it's wrong here
Exporting to Azure Data Explorer duplicates the logs into a separate store, which is data movement and adds ingestion cost and latency. Microsoft Sentinel's cross-workspace querying reads the existing workspaces directly. Azure Data Explorer suits long-term, high-volume analytics beyond Sentinel's retention window.
- ✗
Create a single Log Analytics workspace and have all data sources send logs there.
Why it's wrong here
Consolidating into one workspace requires migrating or re-pointing every data source, which moves data and breaks regional residency and retention boundaries. Cross-workspace queries in Microsoft Sentinel let analysts query all workspaces from one pane without relocation. A single workspace suits greenfield deployments with no regional split.
- ✗
Configure Azure Lighthouse to manage all workspaces.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Lighthouse delegates resource management across tenants, not cross-workspace querying; it grants RBAC over subscriptions, not a unified query plane. It is tempting because it centralises administration of many tenants, which fits managed-service-provider scenarios, but Sentinel's cross-workspace queries require the correct workspace-grouping feature instead.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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