- A
Use Content Search in eDiscovery
Why wrong: Content Search finds content but does not audit actions.
- B
Search the unified audit log in Microsoft Purview
Audit log records user and admin activities.
- C
Configure a retention policy for SharePoint
Why wrong: Retention policy preserves data, does not provide audit.
- D
Review the data classification dashboard
Why wrong: Shows classification, not audit events.
Question 470 of 1,411
Searching the Unified Audit Log in Microsoft Purview
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.
Your organization has a Microsoft Purview compliance portal. You need to audit who deleted a specific file from SharePoint Online last week. What should you do?
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
✓
Search the unified audit log in Microsoft Purview
The unified audit log in Microsoft Purview records all user and admin activities, including file deletions in SharePoint Online. By searching this log, you can find the specific event that shows who deleted the file, when it happened, and from which location. This is the correct tool for auditing past actions like file deletions.
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.
- ✗
Use Content Search in eDiscovery
Why it's wrong here
Content Search finds content but does not audit actions.
- ✓
Search the unified audit log in Microsoft Purview
Why this is correct
Audit log records user and admin activities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure a retention policy for SharePoint
Why it's wrong here
Retention policy preserves data, does not provide audit.
- ✗
Review the data classification dashboard
Why it's wrong here
Shows classification, not audit events.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse eDiscovery Content Search (which finds content) with the unified audit log (which finds actions), leading them to choose Option A instead of B.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Shows classification, not audit events.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The unified audit log captures every audited event with a unique AuditData record containing properties like Operation (e.g., 'FileDeleted'), UserKey (the user who performed the action), and ItemId (the specific file). You can search this log using the Purview compliance portal or the Search-UnifiedAuditLog cmdlet in Exchange Online PowerShell, filtering by date range and workload (e.g., SharePoint). In a real-world scenario, if a file is deleted and then purged from the recycle bin, the audit log is the only way to trace the deletion because the file no longer exists in SharePoint.
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: Search the unified audit log in Microsoft Purview — The unified audit log in Microsoft Purview records all user and admin activities, including file deletions in SharePoint Online. By searching this log, you can find the specific event that shows who deleted the file, when it happened, and from which location. This is the correct tool for auditing past actions like file deletions.
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
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 →
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. Refer to the exhibit. You run the PowerShell command to search the unified audit log for file deletions. The command returns no results, but you know a file was deleted last week. What is the most likely reason?
medium- A.The operation name 'FileDeleted' is incorrect
- ✓ B.Audit logging is not enabled for the organization
- C.Audit logs are only retained for 90 days
- D.The StartDate and EndDate are incorrect
Why B: The most likely reason is that audit logging is not enabled for the organization. In Microsoft 365, unified audit log search requires that audit logging be explicitly turned on (by default, it is enabled for most tenants, but it can be disabled). If audit logging is disabled, no audit records are generated, so any search—including for 'FileDeleted' operations—will return no results, even if files were actually deleted.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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