- A
Data Lifecycle Management
Why wrong: Incorrect. Data Lifecycle Management manages retention and deletion policies for routine compliance, but it does not provide the ability to place a legal hold that overrides existing policies.
- B
eDiscovery (Premium)
Correct. eDiscovery (Premium) allows administrators to place holds on content locations, preventing deletion for the duration of a legal case, overriding any existing deletion policies.
- C
Audit (Premium)
Why wrong: Incorrect. Audit (Premium) logs and retains audit records of activities but does not prevent the deletion of documents or enforce retention.
- D
Communication Compliance
Why wrong: Incorrect. Communication Compliance is designed to detect policy violations in communications (e.g., harassment, sensitive info), not to preserve documents for legal hold.
Quick Answer
The answer is eDiscovery (Premium) because it is the only Microsoft Purview capability that can apply a legal hold in SharePoint and OneDrive, overriding any existing deletion policies to preserve content for an ongoing investigation. When a legal hold is placed via eDiscovery (Premium), it locks specified locations at the site or document level, preventing permanent deletion or modification until the hold is released—this directly meets the requirement to prevent deletion of case-related documents. On the SC-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of how eDiscovery (Premium) differs from basic eDiscovery or retention policies, which cannot override other deletion rules. A common trap is confusing retention policies with legal holds, but remember: retention policies are proactive for compliance, while eDiscovery holds are reactive for litigation. Memory tip: think “eDiscovery (Premium) = legal lock” to recall that only this premium tool can enforce a hold that supersedes all other deletion settings.
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. 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 company is subject to a legal hold for an ongoing investigation. The IT administrator must prevent the deletion of any documents related to this case across SharePoint Online and OneDrive, overriding any existing deletion policies. Which Microsoft Purview capability should the administrator 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
eDiscovery (Premium)
eDiscovery (Premium) is the correct choice because it provides legal hold capabilities that can preserve content in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business, overriding any deletion policies. When a legal hold is applied via eDiscovery, the system places a hold on the specified locations, preventing permanent deletion or modification of documents until the hold is released. This directly addresses the requirement to prevent deletion of case-related documents during an ongoing investigation.
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.
- ✗
Data Lifecycle Management
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Data Lifecycle Management manages retention and deletion policies for routine compliance, but it does not provide the ability to place a legal hold that overrides existing policies.
- ✓
eDiscovery (Premium)
Why this is correct
Correct. eDiscovery (Premium) allows administrators to place holds on content locations, preventing deletion for the duration of a legal case, overriding any existing deletion policies.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Audit (Premium)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Audit (Premium) logs and retains audit records of activities but does not prevent the deletion of documents or enforce retention.
- ✗
Communication Compliance
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Communication Compliance is designed to detect policy violations in communications (e.g., harassment, sensitive info), not to preserve documents for legal hold.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Data Lifecycle Management (which manages retention and deletion policies) with the legal hold capability, not realizing that only eDiscovery (Premium) can override existing policies to preserve content for an investigation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
eDiscovery (Premium) leverages the Microsoft 365 compliance center to create a case and apply a hold that uses the underlying preservation lock mechanism in SharePoint and OneDrive. This hold is enforced at the storage layer, ensuring that even if a user deletes a file or a retention policy expires, the content is retained in a preservation hold library and is discoverable via eDiscovery searches. In real-world scenarios, legal holds must be applied before any deletion policies are triggered to avoid data loss during litigation, and eDiscovery (Premium) supports this by allowing granular hold scoping to specific sites, folders, or 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.
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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: eDiscovery (Premium) — eDiscovery (Premium) is the correct choice because it provides legal hold capabilities that can preserve content in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business, overriding any deletion policies. When a legal hold is applied via eDiscovery, the system places a hold on the specified locations, preventing permanent deletion or modification of documents until the hold is released. This directly addresses the requirement to prevent deletion of case-related documents during an ongoing investigation.
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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