Understand activities related to your data
Activity explorer
Activity explorer gives you a better understanding of activities related to your data. It provides visibility into document-level activities like label changes and label downgrades (like when someone changes a label from confidential to public). You can use the filters to see all the details for a specific label, including file types, users, and activities. Activity explorer enables you to understand what is being done with your labeled content over time. You can use activity explorer to evaluate if the controls already in place, such as DLP policies, are effective. You can update your policies and take action to restrict undesired behavior if you discover something unexpected.
Note
This feature is a capability included with:
- Microsoft 365 E5
- Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance
- Microsoft 365 E5 Information Protection and Governance
Please review Microsoft 365 licensing guidance for security & compliance to identify required licenses for your organization.
Here are the activity types available for analysis.
- File created
- File modified
- File renamed
- File copied to cloud
- File accessed by unallowed app
- File printed
- File copied to removable media
- File copied to network share
- File read
- File copied to clipboard
- Label applied
- Label changed
You can filter data by:
- date range
- activity type
- location
- user
- sensitivity label
- retention label
Understanding the activities users are performing on sensitive information helps you identify the right information protection and DLP policies to apply to secure your content.
Activity explorer provides the following:
- Visibility into document-level activities like label changes and label downgrades.
- Ability to filter to see all the details for a specific label including file types, users, and activities.
- Understand a broad-spectrum of sensitivity label activities across Microsoft 365.
Monitor the use of sensitive information interactive guide
Use the Monitor the use of sensitive information in your organization interactive guide for a walkthrough of the content explorer and activity explorer features.
