Microsoft Purview – Interview preparation – 6

Hi All,

Greetings for the day!

We have started preparing a set of basic interview questions. These cover topics like Azure, SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Teams, Microsoft Purview, and more.

Please visit our interview guide for Microsoft 365 services. Guide to Microsoft 365: Certification & Interview Tips – https://knowledge-junction.in/interview-preparation-2/

This article focuses on interview preparation questions specifically related to Microsoft Purview.

Interview preparation / Microsoft Purview

Microsoft Purview – Interview preparation – 2

Microsoft Purview – Interview preparation – 3

Microsoft Purview – Interview preparation – 4

Microsoft Purview – Interview preparation – 5

Q 1. In Microsoft Purview, How Data Life Cycle is managed?

• The Data Life Cycle refers to how information is handled from the time it’s created until the time it’s deleted.
• In Microsoft Purview, lifecycle management includes several steps:
  • Classifying content
  • Protecting sensitive data
  • Applying retention rules
  • Disposing of content when it’s no longer needed

Q 2. What are retention labels?

• Retention labels are applied to individual items such as emails, documents, or Teams chats.
• These labels can be applied manually by users or automatically using retention label policies.
• Each label defines how long the content should be retained and what happens after that time expires. 
• Retention labels provide flexibility. They allow us to apply different retention settings based on the type or purpose of the content.

Q 3. What are retention policies?

• Retention policies are used to apply retention settings across a broader location.
• A policy can apply a default retention rule to all content within a location. This approach is used instead of labeling individual items. It applies to places such as all mailboxes or all SharePoint sites.
• Retention policies are helpful when:
  • A general rule applies across a location
  • All content needs to be covered, even if it’s unlabeled
  • We want to minimize the need for users to take action

Q 4. What is ADAPTIVE SCOPE?

• Adaptive scopes allow us to apply a label or policy to a dynamic set of
  • users,
  • sites, or
  • groups
• based on Microsoft Entra ID attributes.
• For example,
  • We might apply a retention label only to users in the legal department OR
  • To sites with a specific region tag.

Q 5. What is difference between DLP and RETENTION

• Retention and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) both help protect information
• DLP
  • Focused on preventing sensitive information from being shared or exposed.
  • It looks at how users interact with content.
  • Based on the action, it can block risky behavior.
  • It may also warn about actions such as copying, pasting, uploading, or sending sensitive data.
• RETENTION
  • Focused on controlling how long data is kept.
  • It ensures that content is preserved for a required time and deleted when it’s no longer needed.

Q 6. What are the use cases of RETENTION Labels? OR When RETENTION labels are useful?

Retention labels are useful when:

• Different types of content require different retention periods.
• We need to apply retention at the file, email, or item level.
• We want to allow users to apply labels manually or automatically based on metadata or conditions.
• We need to trigger a disposition review before permanent deletion.
• Regulatory or legal policies require a consistent labeling strategy to prove retention compliance.

Q 7. How to apply Preservation Lock to a Microsoft Purview retention policy.

• From Security & Compliance PowerShell, run Set-RetentionCompliancePolicy.

Q 8. Where the RETENTION Labels are used? What are the location where RETENTION labels are supported?

• Exchange Mailbox
• SharePoint sites
• OneDrive accounts
• Microsoft 365 Groups
• Teams files (through SharePoint)
• Loop and Copilot pages

Q 9. What permissions are require to create RETENTION Labels?

To create and manage retention labels, our account must be assigned one of these roles in Microsoft Purview:

• Records Management
• Retention Management
• Compliance Administrator

Q 10. In Microsoft Purview, where we can create RETENTION Labels?

In Microsoft Purview, we can create RETENTION Labels in following solutions

• Data lifecycle management and 
• Records management

REFERENCES

• Microsoft Purview portal. https://purview.microsoft.com/home
• Getting Started with Microsoft Purview – https://knowledge-junction.in/2025/06/28/getting-started-with-microsoft-purview/
• Microsoft Purview: Essential Interview Q&A – https://knowledge-junction.in/purview-essential-interview-preparation/
• How to navigate – https://knowledge-junction.in/2023/05/04/mspurview-portal-how-to-navigate/
• Microsoft Purview – How to navigate to built-in SITs – https://knowledge-junction.in/2025/09/10/mspurview-navigate-built-in-sits/
• Interview preparation / Microsoft Purview
• Microsoft Purview – Interview preparation – 2
• Microsoft Purview – Interview preparation – 3
• Microsoft Purview – Interview preparation – 4
• Microsoft Purview – Exploring Retention Labels – 1 – https://knowledge-junction.in/2025/10/01/microsoft-purview-exploring-retention-labels-1/