Microsoft Certified: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate

SC-400 · ● Retired (May 31, 2025) · Associate · Microsoft

STATUS UPDATE: SC-400 was retired on May 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM CST. Existing certifications remain valid and visible on transcripts, but no new candidates can sit the exam, and renewal is no longer possible after that date. Microsoft replaced this credential with SC-401 (Information Security Administrator), which focuses specifically on data security and information protection. This page documents SC-400 for historical reference; candidates should pursue SC-401 for current Information Security credentials.

Exam facts

Vendor source — Microsoft Certified: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate ↗

Official exam guide (archived) — Exam SC-400 study guide ↗

Exam objectives (archived) — SC-400 exam details ↗

Retirement announcement — SC-400 Certification Is Retiring - Should You Switch To SC-401? ↗

About

SC-400 was Microsoft's role-based certification for information protection and compliance professionals, launched in February 2021. It validated hands-on expertise in implementing data protection, sensitivity labeling, data loss prevention (DLP), retention policies, eDiscovery, and audit in Microsoft 365 environments. Target audience included compliance engineers, data governance analysts, Microsoft Purview administrators, and DLP specialists managing information protection across hybrid and cloud-first organizations. The exam assumed foundational knowledge of Microsoft 365, cloud security principles, and preferably prior hands-on experience with Purview and compliance features.

Retirement Rationale: Microsoft retired SC-400 on May 31, 2025, recognizing that the original exam scope conflated two distinct professional roles—data security/information protection specialists and compliance/governance professionals. The retirement feedback indicated that organizations needed more specialized credentials for these separate skill sets. Microsoft replaced SC-400 with SC-401 (Information Security Administrator), which focuses exclusively on data security, information protection, and insider risk management in Microsoft 365. Compliance-focused roles will be covered under a separate certification stream (not yet released as of 2026).

For existing SC-400 holders: Certifications earned before the retirement date remain valid and visible on transcripts indefinitely. No renewal was required after May 31, 2025 — the credential is permanently recorded. New candidates cannot sit SC-400 after the retirement date.

Domain context — Security / Compliance

Microsoft's comprehensive cloud-native security and compliance portfolio protecting data, identities, and infrastructure across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Spans data protection, threat detection, identity governance, compliance automation, and audit — unified under a Zero Trust architecture model.

Read full deep dive — Microsoft Security Ecosystem → | Read full deep dive — Security Domain →

Topics covered (archived exam blueprint)

The exam covered information protection and compliance across four domains, weighted as follows:

• Implement information protection and data lifecycle management in Microsoft Purview (35–40%) — Sensitivity labels (classification, encryption, marking, auto-labeling), sensitivity label policies, Purview Information Protection scanner, data lifecycle management (retention labels, retention policies, records management), content explorer and activity explorer
• Implement data loss prevention (30–35%) — DLP policies (Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Endpoints), DLP policy conditions and actions, endpoint DLP, Defender for Cloud Apps integration with DLP, DLP reports and alerts
• Implement and manage Microsoft Purview eDiscovery and Audit (20–25%) — eDiscovery (Standard and Premium), search and export, holds, custodians, audit (standard and premium), log queries in Microsoft Purview

Source: Official exam guide (archived) ↗

Common skills at Security · Associate

Shared core security and compliance skills at associate level — not specific to this cert.

• Deep understanding of data protection and information governance principles
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft 365 security and compliance tools (Purview, Defender, Compliance Manager)
• Configuration of sensitivity labels, retention policies, and DLP policies
• Understanding of zero-trust security models and compliance frameworks (GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, etc.)
• Knowledge of eDiscovery, audit logging, and legal hold procedures
• Experience with threat detection, insider risk management, and data loss prevention
• Understanding of identity protection and access control in compliance contexts
• Ability to design and implement information protection strategies for hybrid/multi-cloud environments
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements and their technical enforcement in Microsoft 365
• Experience with security and compliance reporting, monitoring, and alerting

Recommended courses (archived resources)

Course-selection rule: Microsoft Learn (free, official) remains the recommended baseline covering all exam domains. Pluralsight and CBT Nuggets provide structured video instruction with hands-on labs. Udemy options are budget-friendly for targeted review. YouTube creators offer free comprehensive coverage. Note: These resources are archived and maintained for historical reference; no new content updates are expected for SC-400.

Practice exams (archived resources)

Practice exam rule: MeasureUp (official Microsoft partner) includes 2 full exams with 150+ questions and detailed explanations covering all exam domains. Whizlabs provides 2 exams with 100+ unique questions at lower cost. Microsoft Learn's free practice assessments are essential for understanding exam blueprint alignment. These are archived; no new practice items will be published for SC-400.

Books (archived resources)

Book rule: van Vugt's Exam Ref SC-400 is the official study guide aligned with the 2022 exam blueprint. It covers all exam domains with practical examples, hands-on exercises, review questions, and detailed explanations. The Packt guide provides alternative coverage with practical scenarios. Both are archived and no longer receive updates; they are maintained for historical reference.

Typical job titles at Security · Associate

Information Protection Administrator · Compliance Engineer · Data Governance Analyst · Microsoft Purview Engineer · DLP Specialist · Information Security Administrator · Data Protection Officer (DPO) · Compliance Analyst · Records Manager · eDiscovery Specialist

(Job titles drawn from 2021–2025 job-board postings that listed SC-400 as required or preferred.)

Salary (2021–2025 market data)

Salary rule: SC-400 was an associate-level credential reflecting 2–4 years of hands-on information protection and compliance experience. Salary reflected roles leveraging Microsoft Purview expertise, DLP policy implementation, and compliance project leadership. Data represents 2021–2025 market snapshots. These figures are archived and reflect historical market conditions; current salary data should be sourced from the replacement SC-401 certification.

Skills validated (archived exam scope)

Cert-specific — what this (now-retired) exam tested.

• Microsoft Purview Information Protection implementation
• Sensitivity label creation, configuration, and auto-labeling policies
• Sensitivity label policies and priority management
• Purview Information Protection scanner deployment and management
• Data lifecycle management (retention labels and policies)
• Records management in Microsoft 365
• Content Explorer and Activity Explorer navigation and reporting
• DLP policy design (Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Endpoints)
• DLP policy conditions, actions, and exceptions
• Endpoint DLP for Windows devices
• Defender for Cloud Apps DLP integration
• DLP alerts, reports, and incident response
• eDiscovery (Standard and Premium) implementation
• eDiscovery search, export, and hold procedures
• Custodian and data source management in eDiscovery
• Audit (Standard and Premium) configuration and querying
• Log queries in Microsoft Purview Audit
• Compliance Manager and compliance score management
• Zero Trust compliance and governance principles
• Microsoft 365 compliance and security best practices

Related certifications

• Stacks with: Microsoft SC-900 (Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals) ↗ — foundational knowledge complementing SC-400
• Replacement cert: Microsoft SC-401 (Information Security Administrator) ↗ — successor credential (released April 2025); focuses on data security and information protection
• Other Security Associate certs: Microsoft SC-300 (Identity and Access Administrator) ↗ · Microsoft SC-200 (Security Operations Analyst) ↗ · Microsoft AZ-500 (Azure Security Engineer Associate) ↗
• Higher-level path: SC-100 (Cybersecurity Architect Expert) ↗ — progression for senior security professionals
• Vendor overview: Microsoft Vendor Overview ↗

Sources

• Microsoft Certified: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate (official page)
• Exam SC-400 study guide (archived)
• Exam SC-400 details and registration (archived)
• SC-400 Certification Is Retiring - Should You Switch To SC-401?
• SC-400 Exam Will Retire on May 31, 2025 - SC-401 is the Upgrade Path
• Microsoft SC-400 Certification Exam Gets RETIRED
• Validate critical information security skills with this new Certification
• Microsoft Learn – SC-400T00 course (archived)
• Exam Ref SC-400 book (Microsoft Press Store)
• Microsoft Information Protection Administrator SC-400 Certification Guide (Packt Publishing)
• MeasureUp SC-400 practice exams
• Whizlabs SC-400 practice exams
• Coursera – Microsoft Information Protection and Compliance
• Pluralsight – SC-400: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator
• LinkedIn Learning – Microsoft 365: Information Protection and Compliance
• CBT Nuggets – Microsoft Information Protection Administrator (SC-400)
• Microsoft Purview documentation
• Microsoft Security overview
• Microsoft Certification roadmap – Security

Last verified: 2026-05-02 Status: RETIRED (May 31, 2025) — Successor: SC-401 Information Security Administrator Parent ecosystem: Microsoft Security Ecosystem Parent domain: Security Domain Vendor overview: Microsoft Overview