Custom Data Assessment Scan Limits in Microsoft Purview

SC-401 By islever Editorial Last updated

Implement and manage Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

Short answer

C Custom data risk assessments in Microsoft Purview support a maximum of 200,000 items per location.

Question

You have a Microsoft 365 E5 subscription that uses Microsoft Purview.
You are evaluating the use of custom data assessment scans to identify the potential oversharing of data in the subscription.
What is the maximum number of items the data assessments can support per location?
  1. 50,000
  2. 100,000
  3. 200,000 Correct Answer
  4. 500,000

Key Takeaways

The question tests knowledge of specific service quotas for Microsoft Purview DSPM, with the common trap being confusion between general eDiscovery limits and data assessment scan limits.

This page clarifies the maximum item limit for custom data risk assessments in Microsoft Purview, establishing that 200,000 items per location is the correct answer (C). It explains how these limits apply to both default and custom scans.

Common mistake: Many learners incorrectly select D (500,000) by conflating data assessment limits with broader eDiscovery search or export limits found in other documentation.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Custom data risk assessments in Microsoft Purview are subject to a hard limit of 200,000 items per location. This constraint applies equally to both default and custom assessments designed to identify oversharing. The system processes this volume to generate risk reports, ensuring manageable performance for the underlying analysis engine.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Options A (50,000) and B (100,000) are incorrect because they underestimate the capacity defined in current Microsoft documentation. Option D (500,000) is a distractor derived from eDiscovery limits, such as the number of total locations or exported results, which do not apply to the item count within a single data risk assessment scan.

Community Comment Notes

Community consensus strongly supports C, with multiple users citing the official Microsoft Learn documentation on Data Security Posture Management. Users like 'rvln7' and 'kollyp2000' explicitly reference the text stating "A maximum of 200,000 items per location." Some users initially confused the topic with eDiscovery limits, but the distinction was clarified in comments referencing the specific DSPM article.

Official Reference

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/dspm-for-ai?tabs=m365

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When studying Microsoft Purview, distinguish between different feature sets (e.g., eDiscovery vs. DSPM) as their limits often differ significantly. Memorize specific numeric thresholds for key features like data risk assessments to avoid traps based on similar-sounding services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 500,000 items incorrect for data assessments?

500,000 refers to eDiscovery limits for total locations or exports, not the item count per location in data risk assessments.

Do default data risk assessments have the same limit?

Yes, the 200,000 items per location limit applies to both default and custom data risk assessments.

More SC-401 FAQ →

Discussion 10 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 10

  1. Gtc_ 👍 4 Answered C
    This data risk assessment is created in the Custom assessments category. Wait for the status of your assessment to display Scan completed, and select it to view details. To rerun a custom data risk assessment, and to see results after the 30-day expiration, use the duplicate option to create a new assessment, starting with the same selections. Both the default and custom data risk assessments provide an Export option that let you save and customize the data into a choice of file formats (Excel, .csv, JSON, TSV). Data risk assessments currently support a maximum of 200,000 items per location. The count of files reported might not be accurate when there are more than 100,000 files per location. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/dspm-for-ai This is the only figure for actual items within the documentation.
  2. rvln7 👍 2 Answered C
    C is CORRECT "A maximum of 200,000 items per location, which applies to both a custom data risk assessment and a default data risk assessment. The count of files reported might not be accurate when there are more than 100,000 files per location." https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/dspm-for-ai?tabs=m365
  3. Gtc_ 👍 2
    This isn't related to eDiscovery. Below are eDiscovery figures that relate to cases, not assessments. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/edisc-ref-limits
  4. Nurob 👍 2 Answered C
    Good call from GTC_ with the article https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/dspm-for-ai
  5. JohnyBest 👍 2 Answered C
    Documentation of DSPM (Data Security Posture Management for AI)
Show 5 more comments
  1. Suranka 👍 1 Answered D
    As of July 30, 2025, the maximum number of items per location that custom data assessment scans support in Microsoft Purview for a Microsoft 365 E5 subscription is 500,000. This limit is specified within the eDiscovery limits documentation on Microsoft Learn, where it lists a limit of 500,000 total locations and 500,000 exported results (items) for search actions. Custom data assessments, which are a type of data scan and search, operate within these documented limits. You also mention that counts may become inaccurate above 100,000 items, and while this has been noted in the past, Microsoft's official documentation continues to list the supported limit for exportable items at 500,000. This suggests that the platform is capable of processing up to this higher number, but the reported inaccuracy is a good practice point for interpreting the scan results on extremely large location
  2. kollyp2000 👍 1 Answered C
    Learn: “Limits for Microsoft 365: A maximum of 200,000 items per location, which applies to both a custom data risk assessment and a default data risk assessment. The count of files reported might not be accurate when there are more than 100,000 files per location.” Source: Prevent oversharing with data risk assessments from Data Security Posture Management: Custom data risk assessments
  3. Lapiduse 👍 1 Answered C
    Data risk assessments currently support a maximum of 200,000 items per location. The count of files reported might not be accurate when there are more than 100,000 files per location.
  4. MultiCloudIronMan 👍 1 Answered C
    Based on the Microsoft Learn page “Prevent oversharing with data risk assessments from Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management”
  5. cncpower 👍 1 Answered D
    Microsoft Purview can support per location is 500,000.

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