MSDEVBUILD / azure

Microsoft Purview

Physical Identity Perimeter Network Compute & app 🔒DATA ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ 🚫 attacks blocked
Purview finds and labels your data wherever it lives, so sensitive data is protected at the centre.

😟 THE PROBLEM

Nobody knows where customer personal data is stored across dozens of systems.

😊 THE SOLUTION

Scan, classify and map data with Microsoft Purview.

  • Data scattered everywhere✓ One data map across sources
  • Sensitive data not labelled✓ Automatic classification
  • Auditors ask where data flows✓ Data lineage reports
🛠️ Solved with: Microsoft Purview
Module 3: Management & Governance ⏱ 5 min read Updated 11 Nov 2026

Quick answer

Microsoft Purview is a family of data governance, risk and compliance solutions that gives you a single view of your data. It helps you discover, classify and map data across on-premises, multi-cloud and SaaS sources, track data lineage, and protect sensitive information, so you know what data you have, where it is and who uses it.

Exam objective: 3.2.1 Describe the purpose of Microsoft Purview in Azure. (Skills measured as of July 20, 2026)

Start with a question

Where in your company is every copy of a customer’s personal data?

Most companies can’t answer. Microsoft Purview scans your data estate and tells you.

Explain it like I’m 10

The technical explanation

AreaCapabilities
Unified data governanceData map, catalogue, automated scanning and classification, lineage
Risk and complianceInformation protection, sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, compliance management
SourcesAzure, on-premises SQL and file shares, other clouds, SaaS such as Microsoft 365

Real-world business scenario

Enterprise

An insurance company

The problem
Regulators asked where customer personal data was stored; it was scattered across SQL, data lakes and file shares.
What they used
Microsoft Purview scanning and classification across all sources, with lineage reports.
Why that choice
A single map of sensitive data and how it flows.
The result
The audit response took days instead of months.

When to use it and when not to

✓ Use it when…

  • Finding and classifying sensitive data.
  • Meeting data regulations.

✕ Think twice when…

  • Enforcing resource configuration rules (use Azure Policy).
Ready for more?The full lesson adds the technical explanation, when to use it, interview questions and revision notes.

Interview preparation

Say your answer out loud first, then open the model answer. Interviewers care more about your reasoning than the exact words.

Beginner What does Microsoft Purview do?

Model answer

It helps organisations find and understand their data, wherever it lives, label sensitive information like personal data, and meet compliance rules.

Intermediate What are the two main areas of Microsoft Purview?

Model answer

Risk and compliance solutions, which protect sensitive data across Microsoft 365 and other places, with features like data loss prevention and information protection, and unified data governance, which maps, catalogues and classifies data across on-premises, multi-cloud and SaaS sources.

Experienced developer How would Purview help with GDPR?

Model answer

By scanning data sources to find and classify personal data, showing where it is stored and how it flows (lineage), applying sensitivity labels and data loss prevention policies, and providing reports for audits and data subject requests.

Test yourself with exercises

3 original practice questions in the AZ-900 style. Pick your answers, then check them. You will see why each option is right or wrong. Score 75% or more and this topic is marked complete.

Question 1

Question 1 of 3

Which service discovers and classifies sensitive data across on-premises, multi-cloud and SaaS sources?

Question 2

Question 2 of 3

What is data lineage?

Question 3

Question 3 of 3 · Select 2

Microsoft Purview covers which TWO areas?

Quick revision

Key points

  • Purview = data governance, risk and compliance.
  • Discovers and classifies data across on-premises, multi-cloud and SaaS.
  • Data map, catalogue and lineage.
  • Helps protect sensitive data and meet regulations.

Important terminology

Data governance
Knowing and managing what data you have, where it is and how it is used.
Data map
An automatically built inventory of data sources and assets.
Classification
Labelling data, such as credit card numbers or personal data, automatically.
Data lineage
Tracking where data comes from and where it flows.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing Purview (data governance) with Azure Policy (resource rules).

Exam tips

  • "Discover and classify sensitive data across sources" = Microsoft Purview.

Five quick revision questions

  1. 1.What is Microsoft Purview for?Show

    Data governance, risk and compliance.

  2. 2.Where can Purview find data?Show

    On-premises, multi-cloud and SaaS sources.

  3. 3.What is data lineage?Show

    Tracking where data comes from and where it flows.

  4. 4.What does classification do?Show

    Automatically labels data types such as personal or financial data.

  5. 5.Purview or Azure Policy? Enforcing allowed VM sizes.Show

    Azure Policy.

Official references

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Next up: Azure Policy