How to Get Started with Microsoft Purview for Data Governance
You can begin your data governance journey by picking Microsoft Purview. It is a modern platform that uses AI to help you handle and protect your data easily. The setup is simple and easy to use. You can quickly link your data sources and start sorting your information. With Microsoft Purview, you get:
Quicker data finding and better organization
This way, you do less manual work, keep your data safe, and help your business reach its goals.
Key Takeaways
Microsoft Purview lets you sort, guard, and handle your data. It uses AI and is easy to set up.
Begin data governance by making clear goals. Find important people. Write down all your data sources.
Make your Purview account in Azure. Connect your data sources. Scan them to make a clear data catalog.
Give roles to people with care. This controls who can see or change data. Use labels and rules to keep data safe.
Use Purview’s tools to sort data. Set rules and watch for compliance. This helps protect your business and follow laws.
Plan Data Governance
Set Goals
Begin your data governance journey by making clear goals. Think about what you want to do with your data. Many groups care about these things:
See all your data in one place.
Keep data quality high and know where it comes from.
Let people use data safely and easily to create new things.
Use a federated model to balance control and freedom.
Give roles like data owners, stewards, and consumers.
Link data to business needs and make it better.
Manage data well as rules and tech change.
Tip: Connect your data governance goals to your business plan. For example, if your business wants better customer service, set a goal to make customer data more correct and easy to get.
Identify Stakeholders
You need the right people to make your plan work. Follow these steps to find important stakeholders:
Add leaders who can guide and help the program.
Find data owners for each data group.
Add data stewards who check data quality.
Bring in experts for each kind of data.
Include tech staff who run data systems.
Add business users who use data every day.
This team will help you make a strong plan that works for users.
List Data Sources
Write down all the places where your data is stored. This helps you see everything and plan what to do next. You might have data in:
You may also use cloud data lakes, SaaS apps, or analytics tools. List each source so you can connect and manage them later.
Microsoft Purview Setup
Create Account
You need an account before using Microsoft Purview. Making your account is easy if you follow these steps:
Sign in to the Azure Portal with your work login.
Type “Microsoft Purview” in the search box.
Click “Create” to make a new account.
Pick the Azure subscription you want to use.
Choose a resource group or make a new one.
Give your Microsoft Purview account a name. Use only letters and numbers.
Pick a place for your account. This is where your data will be kept.
(Optional) Name the managed resource group for storage.
Decide if you want to connect to any network or use private endpoints for more safety.
On the Configuration tab, set up Event Hubs namespaces if you want automatic monitoring.
Check your choices and finish making your account.
Note: You must have an Azure subscription and a Microsoft Entra directory. Make sure you have the right Microsoft 365 license, like E3 or E5, for extra features. You also need Reader access or higher on the Purview resource.
Access Portal
After you make your account, you can open the Microsoft Purview portal. You can do this from the Azure Portal overview page or by going to
https://web.purview.azure.com
. Sign in with your work login. Make sure you are in the right Microsoft Entra ID tenant that has your Purview account.
You need a Microsoft Entra directory to sign in.
You may need multi-factor authentication for more safety.
If you use on-premises systems, check that your login supports OAuth 2.0.
Tip: If you cannot sign in, check your permissions and make sure your account is in the right Azure subscription and Entra directory.
Explore Features
When you first log in, you see a modern dashboard. The interface helps you find things fast. Here are some things you can do right away:
See your catalog name and manage it.
View analytics that show your data sources, assets, and glossary terms.
Use the search box to find data assets in your catalog.
Use quick links for your role, like the Knowledge Center, Browse Assets, or Manage Glossary.
Use the left navigation bar to move between main pages.
Check the “Recently Accessed” tab to see your latest work.
Find links to region status, documentation, pricing, and support.
The top navigation bar gives you easy access to release notes, account switching, notifications, help, and feedback. You can also find guided tours and tutorials to help you learn.
The interface puts all your tools in one place. You can manage data governance, security, and compliance from one control panel. The design makes things less confusing and helps you start faster.
Note: Some features, like data lineage and metadata refresh, may need you to set them up yourself. Use the Quick Start Guide to avoid mistakes and set up faster.
Tip: The first setup usually takes about 72 hours if you use the quick setup. Plan for more time if you have lots of data sources or need special settings.
Cost Consideration: Microsoft Purview uses a modular pricing model. You pay for what you use, like data map capacity, insights, and policy management. Some features are free during preview, but advanced features may need higher-tier licenses like Microsoft 365 E5.
Set Roles & Permissions
Assign Roles
You need to pick the right roles for each person. This helps control who can see or change your data. Microsoft Purview uses a role-based access model. Each role lets people do different things. The table below shows the main roles and what they do:
Give each person a role that matches their job. Use Microsoft Purview Collections to group data and set roles. Always use the least privilege model. This means people get only the access they need. Assign roles to groups, not single users. This makes things easier and keeps your data safer.
Tip: Always turn on multifactor authentication for admin roles. This gives extra protection.
Manage Access
You must control who can get to your data. Start by giving admin rights to only a few people. Give each team member just the permissions they need. Split up jobs so no one has too much power.
Use sensitivity labels to mark and protect your data. These labels help you control who can see or change important info. You can make rules that ask users to explain why they change a label. Every action is logged, so you can check later.
Set up Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies to watch for sensitive data. DLP helps you find and stop risky sharing. You can also use encryption and just-in-time access to limit who sees important data.
Note: Use audit logs to track who looks at or changes data. This helps you find problems early and keep your data safe.
Scan & Catalog Data
Connect Sources
First, connect your data sources. You can link many storage types and databases. Some popular choices are:
Azure SQL Database
Azure Databricks Unity Catalog
Snowflake
Google BigQuery
Azure Synapse Analytics
You must set up permissions for each source. For example, give the Storage Blob Data Reader role for Azure Data Lake. Give the db_datareader role for Azure SQL Database. Use Managed Identity to keep authentication safe. Some connectors, like Amazon S3, have special rules. For example, scanning Glacier storage classes does not support schema extraction or sensitivity labels. Private endpoints do not work for Amazon S3. You might see data transfer charges if your region is different.
Tip: Use managed virtual networks to connect sources for better security.
Run Scans
After you connect your sources, you can scan your data. Scanning helps you find and sort information. Follow these steps:
Go to Data Map and pick your data source.
Start a new scan and give it a name.
Choose how you want to sign in.
Pick where to save the metadata.
Test the connection to check if it works.
Choose folders or data sets to scan.
Pick a scan rule set to check for data types.
Decide if you want to scan once or on a schedule.
Check your settings and start the scan.
Big scans can take a long time. The longest scan time is seven days. If the scan does not finish in time, it will stop. You can run full scans first, then use incremental scans to save time later. Try to scan during off-peak hours so your systems do not slow down.
Organize Assets
After you scan your data, you need to organize it. Use domains and collections to group your assets. Domains help you match business needs, like splitting production and test environments or departments. Collections are inside domains and help you manage access and organize sources.
Start with a default domain, then add more as you need them. Give roles like Data Curator or Reader at the collection level. Always use the least-privilege model to keep your data safe.
Note: Make your domains match how your business uses data, not just your IT setup. This makes your catalog easier for everyone to use.
Governance & Security
Classify Data
Microsoft Purview uses AI tools to help you sort your data. The platform has smart AI classifiers that find and label sensitive things in files, emails, and messages. These tools work quickly and can check lots of data at once. You can also make your own special classifiers if you need them.
Prebuilt AI classifiers help you find things like credit card numbers or health records.
Custom trainable classifiers let you teach the system to spot special data types.
Fingerprint-based types keep special files safe by making digital fingerprints.
Real-time policy tips and sensitivity labels warn people when they use sensitive data.
The content explorer shows where sensitive data is in Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams.
This automatic sorting helps you keep important information safe and lowers the chance of leaks.
Set Policies
Once your data is sorted, you need to make rules to control it. Microsoft Purview lets you set up rules that fit your business and legal needs. You can use different kinds of rules:
These rules help you handle data safely and follow the law.
Monitor Compliance
You need to check if your data and users follow your rules. Microsoft Purview gives you tools to watch for problems and fix them fast.
Make alert rules to get messages about risky actions or broken rules.
Pick who gets alerts and how often they get them.
Use dashboards to see all alerts and user actions together.
Look at logs to see what happened and when.
Use Compliance Manager to check how well you follow rules like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.
These steps help you find risks early, protect sensitive data, and keep your business safe.
You can begin with data governance by making a plan. Next, give people roles and scan your data. Build your catalog and make simple rules. Watch to see if everyone follows the rules. Doing all these things together keeps your data safe. It also helps you avoid problems and follow the law. As your needs grow, try new tools like AI classification and risk checks. Keep teaching your team and make your plan better. These steps help you manage data safely and well.
FAQ
How do you add a new data source in Microsoft Purview?
You start by opening the Purview portal. Go to Data Map and click "Register." Choose the type of data source you want. Fill in the details and save your changes. Now you can scan and organize your new data source.
Can you use Microsoft Purview with non-Microsoft data sources?
Yes, you can connect to many non-Microsoft sources. Some examples are Amazon S3, Google BigQuery, and Snowflake. You must set up the right permissions first. Then follow the connector steps in the portal.
What happens if a scan fails?
If a scan fails, you will see an error message. Check your connection, permissions, and settings. Fix any problems you find, then try again. The portal gives tips to help you solve common issues.
How do you keep sensitive data safe in Purview?
You use sensitivity labels and data classification. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies help too. These tools control who can see or use important data. They help stop leaks or misuse.
Is Microsoft Purview hard to set up for beginners?
No, Microsoft Purview is easy for beginners to use. It has a guided setup and helpful tutorials. You follow simple steps in the portal. Most people can connect sources and scan data without special skills.