- A
Microsoft Purview Information Protection
Why wrong: Information Protection provides classification and labeling to protect data but does not natively block emails or enforce transmission rules; that is the role of Data Loss Prevention.
- B
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention
Correct. DLP policies can detect sensitive information types (e.g., credit card numbers) and automatically apply actions such as blocking email delivery or encrypting documents at rest.
- C
Microsoft Purview Audit
Why wrong: Audit logs user activities and events but cannot take real-time blocking or protective actions on data.
- D
Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager
Why wrong: Compliance Manager provides assessments and recommendations for regulatory compliance but does not detect or block sensitive data.
SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions
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.
A company needs to automatically detect and protect sensitive information such as credit card numbers in emails sent from Exchange Online and documents stored in SharePoint Online. They want to create policies that can block emails if such data is detected, and also automatically encrypt documents with specific labels. Which Microsoft Purview solution should they use?
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 Loss Prevention
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is the correct solution because it is specifically designed to automatically detect sensitive information (e.g., credit card numbers) in Exchange Online emails and SharePoint Online documents, and then enforce protective actions such as blocking email transmission or applying encryption labels. DLP policies use sensitive information types and policy tips to identify and remediate data exposure risks across these workloads.
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.
- ✗
Microsoft Purview Information Protection
Why it's wrong here
Information Protection provides classification and labeling to protect data but does not natively block emails or enforce transmission rules; that is the role of Data Loss Prevention.
- ✓
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention
Why this is correct
Correct. DLP policies can detect sensitive information types (e.g., credit card numbers) and automatically apply actions such as blocking email delivery or encrypting documents at rest.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Microsoft Purview Audit
Why it's wrong here
Audit logs user activities and events but cannot take real-time blocking or protective actions on data.
- ✗
Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager
Why it's wrong here
Compliance Manager provides assessments and recommendations for regulatory compliance but does not detect or block sensitive data.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Information Protection (labeling/encryption) with DLP (detection and enforcement), but DLP is the engine that triggers the protective actions, while Information Protection provides the labels and encryption mechanisms that DLP can apply.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, DLP policies in Microsoft Purview leverage built-in sensitive information types (e.g., Credit Card Number with checksum validation via Luhn algorithm) and machine learning classifiers to scan content in Exchange Online (transport rules) and SharePoint (document libraries). When a match occurs, DLP can enforce actions such as blocking the email with an override option or automatically applying a sensitivity label via auto-labeling policies, which integrates with Information Protection for encryption. A subtle behavior is that DLP in SharePoint can also detect sensitive data in documents stored in OneDrive for Business, and it can be configured to block sharing externally or apply restrictions.
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: Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention — Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is the correct solution because it is specifically designed to automatically detect sensitive information (e.g., credit card numbers) in Exchange Online emails and SharePoint Online documents, and then enforce protective actions such as blocking email transmission or applying encryption labels. DLP policies use sensitive information types and policy tips to identify and remediate data exposure risks across these workloads.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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