SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
A company uses Microsoft Purview to map their data estate. They need to classify data stored in Azure SQL Database and Amazon S3. What should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Microsoft Purview Data Map with Microsoft Defender for Cloud, mistakenly thinking that Defender for Cloud's 'data classification' feature (which only applies to Azure SQL and Azure Storage) can also scan Amazon S3, but it cannot—only Purview Data Map supports multi-cloud data sources like AWS S3.
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
✓
Microsoft Purview Data Map
Microsoft Purview Data Map is the correct choice because it provides automated data discovery, classification, and lineage across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, including Azure SQL Database and Amazon S3. It uses built-in scanners and classifiers to scan structured and unstructured data sources, mapping sensitive data types such as PII or financial information. This directly fulfills the requirement to classify data across both Azure and AWS platforms.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Microsoft Intune
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service focused on endpoint management, enabling organizations to manage mobile devices, desktop computers, and applications. Its primary function is to secure and deploy corporate resources to devices, enforce compliance policies, and manage application lifecycle, rather than mapping or classifying data content across an entire data estate.
- ✗
Microsoft Sentinel
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Sentinel is a scalable, cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) solution. It aggregates security data from various sources, detects threats using AI and machine learning, and facilitates incident response. Sentinel's purpose is security operations and threat intelligence, not the discovery, cataloging, or classification of data assets for governance.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides comprehensive cloud security posture management (CSPM) and cloud workload protection (CWP) across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. It continuously assesses the security state of cloud resources, identifies vulnerabilities, and offers recommendations to strengthen security posture. While crucial for security, it does not perform the detailed data scanning, classification, and lineage tracking required to map a data estate for governance purposes.
- ✓
Microsoft Purview Data Map
Why this is correct
The Microsoft Purview Data Map is the foundational component of Microsoft Purview, designed to automatically discover, catalog, and classify data assets across an organization's entire data estate, including on-premises, multi-cloud, and SaaS sources. It creates a unified metadata repository, providing a holistic view of data locations, types, and relationships. This capability is essential for understanding data landscapes, enabling data governance, compliance, and risk management initiatives.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Microsoft Entra ID
Key term
SQL
SQL is a standard programming language used to manage, query, and manipulate relational databases by issuing commands like SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE.
Key term
SQL
SQL is a standardized programming language used to manage and manipulate relational databases, enabling querying, updating, and data retrieval.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SC-900 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-900 exam.