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. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. A Microsoft Purview retention policy is configured as shown. An HR manager wants to ensure that employee records are kept for at least 1 year after last modification. The policy is applied to Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive. What is the outcome?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy will not retain content; it will delete matching content after 365 days, which may not be intended
The policy is configured as 'Delete only' with a retention period of 365 days. This means that after 365 days from the last modification, the content will be permanently deleted. It does not retain content for any minimum period; it simply deletes it after the specified duration. The HR manager wants to keep records for at least 1 year, but this policy will delete them exactly at the 1-year mark, which may not be intended if the manager expects retention beyond that point or if the policy should also preserve content until deletion.
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.
✓
The policy will not retain content; it will delete matching content after 365 days, which may not be intended
Why this is correct
The policy deletes instead of keeping, and the query may not work as expected.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Employee records in Exchange are retained for 365 days after last modification, then deleted
Why it's wrong here
The retention action is 'Delete', not 'Keep'; this deletes rather than retains.
✗
Employee records in SharePoint are deleted after 365 days from last modification if they have Department=HR
Why it's wrong here
SharePoint items typically lack a Department property, so the query may not match.
✗
The policy retains content for 365 days and then automatically moves to archive
Why it's wrong here
No archive action is configured; the action is delete.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'retention' with 'retain and delete' and assume a retention policy automatically preserves content indefinitely, when in fact a 'Delete only' policy will delete content after the specified period without any retention grace period.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Microsoft Purview retention policies work by evaluating the 'last modified' date for content in Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive. When set to 'Delete only', the policy applies a hold for the specified duration (365 days) and then permanently removes the content via the Managed Folder Assistant in Exchange and the SharePoint Online timer job. It is important to note that retention policies do not prevent users from modifying content during the retention period; they only enforce deletion after the period ends. If the HR manager wants to ensure records are kept for at least 1 year but not deleted immediately, a 'Retain and delete' policy should be used, which retains content for the specified period and then deletes it.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-900 question in full detail.
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: The policy will not retain content; it will delete matching content after 365 days, which may not be intended — The policy is configured as 'Delete only' with a retention period of 365 days. This means that after 365 days from the last modification, the content will be permanently deleted. It does not retain content for any minimum period; it simply deletes it after the specified duration. The HR manager wants to keep records for at least 1 year, but this policy will delete them exactly at the 1-year mark, which may not be intended if the manager expects retention beyond that point or if the policy should also preserve content until deletion.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.