Question 310 of 1,411

Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Adaptive Retention Policy

This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft compliance solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 organization uses Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management. You need to ensure that content in a SharePoint site is retained for 3 years after the last modification date. What should you create?

A
A static retention policy with a 3-year duration
Why wrong: Static policies apply to all content equally, not based on last modified date.
B
An auto-labeling policy for sensitive data
Why wrong: Auto-labeling is for classification, not retention duration based on last modified.
C
A default retention label for the library
Why wrong: Default labels apply a label but do not use last modified as trigger.
D
An adaptive retention policy based on a custom date property
Adaptive policies can use 'last modified' as the start of retention.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

An adaptive retention policy based on a custom date property

Option D is correct because Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management allows you to create an adaptive retention policy based on a custom date property, such as 'Last Modified Date'. This enables you to retain SharePoint content for a specific duration (3 years) after that property's value, which aligns with the requirement to retain content based on the last modification date.

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.

✗
A static retention policy with a 3-year duration
Why it's wrong here
Static policies apply to all content equally, not based on last modified date.
✗
An auto-labeling policy for sensitive data
Why it's wrong here
Auto-labeling is for classification, not retention duration based on last modified.
✗
A default retention label for the library
Why it's wrong here
Default labels apply a label but do not use last modified as trigger.
✓
An adaptive retention policy based on a custom date property
Why this is correct
Adaptive policies can use 'last modified' as the start of retention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse static retention policies (which apply uniformly) with adaptive policies that can dynamically calculate retention from a per-item property, leading them to choose option A or C instead of D.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Adaptive retention policies in Microsoft Purview use advanced settings to define retention based on a custom date property (e.g., 'Last Modified Date') and a duration (e.g., 3 years). This is implemented via the 'Retention rule' that evaluates the property value at the time of item creation or modification, and the retention period starts from that date. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for compliance with regulations that require retention from the last activity date, such as financial records or legal documents.

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.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SC-900 question test?

Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: An adaptive retention policy based on a custom date property — Option D is correct because Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management allows you to create an adaptive retention policy based on a custom date property, such as 'Last Modified Date'. This enables you to retain SharePoint content for a specific duration (3 years) after that property's value, which aligns with the requirement to retain content based on the last modification date.

What should I do if I get this SC-900 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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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on SC-900

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 organization uses Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management to retain data for regulatory compliance. You need to ensure that all documents in a SharePoint site are retained for 7 years after they are last modified. What should you create?

medium

A.An auto-labeling policy
B.A data loss prevention policy
✓ C.An adaptive scope based on last modified date
D.A static scope for the SharePoint site

Why C: To retain documents in a SharePoint site for 7 years after they are last modified, you need a retention policy with an adaptive scope that uses a query to target items based on the 'Last Modified' date. Adaptive scopes allow dynamic, attribute-based scoping (e.g., last modified date), which is required for this time-based retention trigger. A static scope would apply to all content in the site without the ability to filter by modification date.

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