Quick Answer
The answer is the Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit search. This is the correct tool because it provides a dedicated, searchable interface for querying the Microsoft 365 unified audit log, which captures all user and admin activities—including SharePoint file deletions—and allows you to filter by time range, such as the last 24 hours, without needing additional licensing or scripting. On the SC-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of the Purview compliance portal’s role in security investigations, often appearing as a trap where candidates might mistakenly choose PowerShell or the Security & Compliance Center (the older name). Remember: if the scenario involves searching audit logs for compliance or forensic purposes, the answer is always the Purview compliance portal audit search. A helpful mnemonic is “Purview for the Purview” – when you need to view past actions, use Purview.
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft security solutions. 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.
A security analyst needs to query Microsoft 365 audit logs to find all activities where a user deleted a file from SharePoint Online in the last 24 hours. Which tool should they use?
Microsoft Sentinel
Why wrong: Requires ingesting logs, not direct audit log search.
Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit search
Provides native audit log search capabilities.
Microsoft Graph PowerShell
Why wrong: Can query audit logs but not as straightforward as the portal.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
Why wrong: Focuses on cloud app discovery, not audit logs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit search
Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit search is the correct tool because it provides a dedicated, searchable interface for querying the Microsoft 365 unified audit log. This log records all user and admin activities, including file deletions from SharePoint Online, and supports time-based filters (e.g., last 24 hours) to retrieve specific events. It is purpose-built for compliance and security investigations without requiring additional licensing or complex scripting.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Microsoft Sentinel
Why it's wrong here
Requires ingesting logs, not direct audit log search.
Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit search
Why this is correct
Provides native audit log search capabilities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Microsoft Graph PowerShell
Why it's wrong here
Can query audit logs but not as straightforward as the portal.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
Why it's wrong here
Focuses on cloud app discovery, not audit logs.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Microsoft Sentinel (a SIEM) with a simple audit log search tool, but Sentinel is designed for advanced threat detection and correlation, not for direct, ad-hoc queries of the unified audit log without additional setup.
Detailed technical explanation
The unified audit log in Microsoft 365 uses a schema where each event includes properties like Operation, UserId, ItemType, and CreationTime. For SharePoint file deletions, the Operation value is 'FileDeleted' or 'FileDeletedFirstStageRecycleBin'. The Purview audit search leverages this schema with a GUI that allows filtering by date range, activity, and user, and it returns results in a sortable table or CSV export. In real-world scenarios, analysts often use this to correlate deletion times with other events, such as a user's login activity, to detect insider threats or accidental data loss.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit search — Microsoft Purview compliance portal audit search is the correct tool because it provides a dedicated, searchable interface for querying the Microsoft 365 unified audit log. This log records all user and admin activities, including file deletions from SharePoint Online, and supports time-based filters (e.g., last 24 hours) to retrieve specific events. It is purpose-built for compliance and security investigations without requiring additional licensing or complex scripting.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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