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Data classification for your Microsoft 365 for enterprise test environment

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This Test Lab Guide can be used for both Microsoft 365 for enterprise and Office 365 Enterprise test environments.

This article describes how to configure data classification using retention labels in your Microsoft 365 for enterprise test environment.

Classifying data in your test environment involves three phases:

Test Lab Guides for the Microsoft cloud.

Tip

For a visual map to all the articles in the Microsoft 365 for enterprise Test Lab Guide stack, go to Microsoft 365 for enterprise Test Lab Guide Stack.

Phase 1: Build out your Microsoft 365 for enterprise test environment

If you just want to configure retention labels in a lightweight way with the minimum requirements, follow the instructions in Lightweight base configuration.

If you want to configure retention labels in a simulated enterprise, follow the instructions in Pass-through authentication.

Note

Testing retention labels doesn't require the simulated enterprise test environment, which includes a simulated intranet connected to the internet and directory synchronization for an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) forest. It's provided here as an option so that you can test automated licensing and group membership and experiment with it in an environment that represents a typical organization.

Phase 2: Create retention labels

In this phase, create the retention labels for the different levels of retention for SharePoint Online documents folders:

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Defender portal with your global admin account.
  2. From the Home - Microsoft 365 security tab of your browser, select Classification > Retention labels.
  3. Select Create a label.
  4. In the Name your label pane, enter Internal Public in Name your label, and then select Next.
  5. In the File plan descriptors pane, select Next.
  6. In the Label settings pane, if needed, set Retention to On, and then select Next.
  7. In the Review your settings pane, select Create the label.
  8. Repeat steps 3-7 for additional labels with these names:
  • Private
  • Sensitive
  • Highly Confidential
  1. In the Retention labels pane, select Publish labels.
  2. In the Choose labels to publish pane, select Choose labels to publish.
  3. In the Choose labels pane, select Add and select all four labels.
  4. Select Add, and then select Done.
  5. On the Choose labels to publish pane, select Next.
  6. On the Choose locations pane, select Next.
  7. On the Name your policy pane, enter Example organization in Name, and then select Next.
  8. On the Review your settings pane, select Publish labels.

It might take a few minutes for the retention labels to be published.

Phase 3: Apply retention labels to documents

In this phase, you discover the default retention label behavior for files in the Documents folder of a SharePoint Online site and manually change the retention label of a document.

First, create a sensitive-level SharePoint Online team site:

  1. Using a private instance of your browser, sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center using your global admin account.
  2. In the list of tiles, select SharePoint.
  3. On the new SharePoint tab in your browser, select Create site.
  4. On the Create a site page, select Team site.
  5. In the Team site name box, enter SensitiveFiles.
  6. In the Team site description box, enter SharePoint site for sensitive files.
  7. In Privacy settings, select Private - only members can access this site, and then select Next.
  8. In the Who do you want to add? pane, select Finish.

Next, configure the Documents folder of the SensitiveFiles team site for the Sensitive retention label.

  1. In the SensitiveFiles tab of your browser, select Documents.
  2. Select the Settings icon, and then select Library settings.
  3. Under Permissions and Management, select Apply label to items in this list or library. If this option doesn't appear, your retention labels aren't yet published. Try this step at a later time.
  4. In Settings-Apply Label, select Sensitive in the drop-down box, and then select Save.

Next, create a new document in the SensitiveFiles site and change its retention label.

  1. In the documents folder, select New > Word document.
  2. Enter some text in the blank document. Wait for the text to be saved.
  3. On the menu bar, select Shared Documents.
  4. Next to the Document.docx file name, select the vertical ellipsis, and then select Details.
  5. In the right pane, in the Properties section, under Apply retention label, note that the document has had the Sensitive retention label automatically applied.
  6. Click Edit all.
  7. In the Document.docx pane, under Apply retention label, select the Highly Confidential label, and then select Save.

Next step

Explore additional information protection features and capabilities in your test environment.

See also

Microsoft 365 for enterprise Test Lab Guides

Microsoft 365 for enterprise overview

Microsoft 365 for enterprise documentation