SC-900 Sensitive information type (SIT) Practice Question
Your organization is implementing Microsoft Purview to manage data governance. You need to classify sensitive data such as social security numbers automatically. What should you create?
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
✓
Sensitive information type
Sensitive information type. Sensitive information types (SITs) are predefined or custom patterns that detect sensitive data like social security numbers automatically. Option A is incorrect because a data loss prevention (DLP) policy uses SITs to enforce actions, but it does not classify data on its own. Option B is incorrect because retention labels manage data retention and disposal, not classification. Option D is incorrect because trainable classifiers require training with sample data to identify content, whereas SITs use pattern matching out of the box.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Data loss prevention policy
Why it's wrong here
This option is incorrect because a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy is an enforcement mechanism that *uses* sensitive information types to identify sensitive data, but it does not perform the classification itself. A DLP policy defines actions to prevent data exfiltration or inappropriate sharing *after* a sensitive information type has already detected and classified the content. Therefore, a DLP policy is a protective measure, not the initial classification tool for patterns like Social Security Numbers.
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Retention label
Why it's wrong here
This option is incorrect because a retention label's primary function is to govern the lifecycle of content, specifying how long it should be kept or when it should be deleted, and whether it needs to be immutable. While retention labels can be applied manually or automatically, their purpose is not to identify or classify specific sensitive patterns like Social Security Numbers within documents. They manage the content's disposition rather than its inherent sensitivity detection.
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Sensitive information type
Why this is correct
This option is correct because a Sensitive Information Type (SIT) is specifically designed to identify and classify sensitive data based on predefined or custom patterns, keywords, and proximity rules. For detecting Social Security Numbers, a SIT leverages pattern matching (e.g., regular expressions) and checksums to accurately identify these specific data elements across various content sources within Microsoft Purview. This direct detection capability makes it the fundamental classification mechanism for such requirements.
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Trainable classifier
Why it's wrong here
This option is incorrect because a trainable classifier employs machine learning to identify categories of unstructured data based on extensive training with example content. Unlike sensitive information types, which rely on defined patterns and rules for specific data elements like Social Security Numbers, trainable classifiers are designed for broader content categorization (e.g., "resumes" or "legal documents") and require significant initial training data to learn and recognize content types. They are not suited for precise pattern-based detection of specific sensitive data.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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Core Security Concepts
Key term
Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance and compliance service that helps organizations discover, manage, and protect their data across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
Key term
Data retention
Data retention is the practice of keeping data for a specific period to meet legal, business, or compliance needs, and then securely disposing of it.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way 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 to manage data governance. You need to ensure that sensitive financial data containing credit card numbers is automatically detected and labeled when stored in SharePoint Online. Which compliance solution should you configure?
medium- ✓ A.Information Protection auto-labeling
- B.eDiscovery (Premium)
- C.Data Lifecycle Management
- D.Audit (Premium)
Why A: Microsoft Purview Information Protection auto-labeling is the correct solution because it can automatically detect sensitive data types, such as credit card numbers, using built-in sensitive information types (e.g., Credit Card Number) and apply sensitivity labels to documents in SharePoint Online. This ensures that financial data is classified and protected at rest without manual intervention, aligning with the requirement for automatic detection and labeling.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.