Governance and compliance

📘Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

What is Data Governance?

Data governance is the process of:

Managing data properly
Protecting sensitive data
Ensuring data quality
Knowing where data is stored
Controlling who can access it
Meeting legal and regulatory requirements

In an IT environment, organizations store data in:

Azure Storage accounts
Azure SQL databases
Microsoft 365
On-premises servers
Third-party cloud platforms

Without proper governance, organizations may:

Lose track of sensitive information
Fail audits
Violate compliance regulations
Expose confidential data

This is where Microsoft Purview helps.

2. What is Microsoft Purview?

Microsoft Purview is Microsoft’s unified data governance and compliance solution.

It helps organizations:

Discover data across environments
Classify and label data
Protect sensitive data
Monitor data usage
Meet regulatory requirements
Manage data lifecycle

It works across:

Azure
Microsoft 365
On-premises systems
Multi-cloud environments (like AWS or Google Cloud)

For the AZ-900 exam, you need to understand that:

Microsoft Purview helps organizations govern, protect, and manage their data wherever it exists.

3. Why Microsoft Purview is Important for Governance

In a modern IT environment:

Data is stored in many places.
Different teams access the same data.
Sensitive information (financial, personal, health data) must be protected.
Organizations must follow compliance laws.

Microsoft Purview helps organizations:

Know what data they have
Know where it is stored
Understand how it is used
Control access
Protect sensitive information

4. Key Components of Microsoft Purview (Important for Exam)

Microsoft Purview includes several important capabilities.

For AZ-900, focus on understanding these main areas:

4.1 Data Discovery and Data Catalog

What is Data Discovery?

Data discovery means:

Automatically scanning data sources
Finding what data exists
Identifying sensitive information

Purview can scan:

Azure SQL Database
Azure Data Lake
Azure Storage
On-premises databases
Microsoft 365
Other cloud platforms

What is a Data Catalog?

A Data Catalog is like a searchable inventory of data assets.

It allows organizations to:

Search for datasets
Understand what the data contains
See data classification
See who owns the data
Understand data lineage (where data came from)

IT Example:

A data analyst wants customer data. Instead of asking multiple teams, they search in Purview and find:

Dataset name
Location (Azure SQL)
Owner
Sensitivity classification
Related data sources

This improves efficiency and governance.

4.2 Data Classification and Sensitivity Labels

What is Data Classification?

Data classification means identifying and categorizing data based on its sensitivity.

Examples of classifications:

Public
Internal
Confidential
Highly Confidential

Microsoft Purview can automatically detect:

Credit card numbers
National ID numbers
Email addresses
Financial information
Health records

Sensitivity Labels

Purview allows organizations to apply sensitivity labels such as:

Public
Internal
Confidential
Restricted

These labels can:

Encrypt data
Restrict access
Prevent sharing
Prevent downloading
Add watermarks

IT Example:

If a document contains salary information:

It can be automatically labeled “Confidential”
Access can be limited to HR users only
External sharing can be blocked

This ensures compliance and security.

4.3 Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Data Loss Prevention helps prevent sensitive data from being:

Shared incorrectly
Sent outside the organization
Uploaded to unauthorized locations

Purview DLP policies can:

Detect sensitive data
Block email sending if it contains sensitive data
Prevent copying sensitive data to USB
Stop sharing files externally

IT Example:

If an employee tries to email a file with credit card numbers:

DLP policy detects it
Email is blocked or flagged
Admin is notified

This reduces data breach risks.

4.4 Data Lifecycle Management

Organizations must manage data from creation to deletion.

Microsoft Purview helps with:

Retention policies
Data deletion policies
Records management

Retention Policies

Organizations can define:

Keep emails for 7 years
Delete logs after 1 year
Archive old documents automatically

This helps meet legal requirements.

IT Example:

Financial records must be stored for compliance reasons. Purview ensures:

Records are not deleted early
Data is retained for required duration
Data is deleted automatically after retention period

4.5 Insider Risk Management

Purview helps detect risky behavior inside the organization.

It monitors:

Unusual data downloads
Mass copying of sensitive files
Unauthorized data sharing

This is important for:

Preventing internal data leaks
Protecting intellectual property

4.6 eDiscovery (Electronic Discovery)

eDiscovery helps organizations:

Search for data during legal investigations
Collect emails and documents
Preserve evidence

If an organization faces legal investigation, Purview can:

Search across Microsoft 365
Identify relevant documents
Export data for legal review

4.7 Compliance Manager

Compliance Manager helps organizations:

Track compliance with regulations
Assess compliance score
Get improvement recommendations

Examples of regulations:

GDPR
ISO 27001
HIPAA
SOC

Compliance Manager provides:

Compliance score
Recommended actions
Documentation guidance

For AZ-900, remember:

Compliance Manager helps organizations assess and manage regulatory compliance.

5. How Microsoft Purview Supports Governance

Microsoft Purview supports governance by:

Providing visibility into data
Enforcing policies automatically
Protecting sensitive information
Supporting audits and legal requirements
Ensuring regulatory compliance

It integrates with:

Microsoft Entra ID (identity management)
Azure RBAC
Microsoft Defender
Microsoft 365

6. Microsoft Purview in a Real IT Environment

Here is how it works in an organization:

IT team connects Purview to Azure Storage and SQL databases.
Purview scans data automatically.
Sensitive information is detected and classified.
Policies are applied (DLP, retention, encryption).
Users can search data in the data catalog.
Compliance team monitors compliance score.
Alerts are generated if sensitive data is misused.

This creates a controlled and secure data environment.

7. Key Benefits of Microsoft Purview

Centralized data governance
Unified compliance management
Automatic data classification
Reduced risk of data breaches
Improved audit readiness
Better visibility of data assets
Supports hybrid and multi-cloud environments

8. What You Must Remember for AZ-900 Exam

For the exam, focus on understanding:

1. What Microsoft Purview Is

A unified data governance and compliance solution.

2. Core Capabilities

Data discovery
Data catalog
Data classification
Sensitivity labels
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Retention policies
Compliance Manager
eDiscovery

3. Purpose

Protect sensitive data
Meet regulatory requirements
Monitor data usage
Prevent data loss

4. Works Across

Azure
Microsoft 365
On-premises
Multi-cloud

9. Common Exam Question Concepts

You may see questions like:

Which service helps classify and protect sensitive data? → Microsoft Purview
Which tool helps track regulatory compliance? → Compliance Manager
Which feature prevents sharing sensitive information outside the organization? → DLP
Which service provides a data catalog? → Microsoft Purview

10. Summary

Microsoft Purview is Microsoft’s solution for:

Data governance
Data protection
Compliance management

It helps organizations:

Discover data
Classify sensitive information
Protect data
Prevent data loss
Meet legal requirements
Manage data lifecycle

For AZ-900, you do not need deep technical configuration knowledge.
You only need to understand:

What it does
Why it is used
Its key features
How it supports governance and compliance