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Troubleshooting: Control 1.13 - Sensitive Information Types (SITs)

Parent Control: 1.13 - Sensitive Information Types (SITs) and Pattern Recognition

Last Updated: January 2026

Common Issues

Issue Cause Resolution
SIT not detecting content Pattern or keyword mismatch Review regex; test in Content Explorer
High false positive rate Confidence threshold too low Increase confidence level; add context
Custom SIT not appearing Publishing delay or permission Wait 24 hours; verify admin role
EDM not matching Schema mismatch or stale data Verify schema; refresh hash table
DLP policy not triggering SIT not included in policy Add SIT to policy conditions

Detailed Troubleshooting

Issue: SIT Not Detecting Expected Content

Symptoms: Documents with sensitive data not flagged in Content Explorer

Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Verify SIT is published and active: 

    Microsoft Purview > Data classification > Sensitive info types
Check status is "Active"

  2. Test SIT pattern manually:

  3. Use Content Explorer to search for known sensitive content

  4. Verify pattern matches expected format

  5. Check confidence levels:

  6. High confidence may require multiple evidence types
  7. Lower confidence for testing, raise for production

Resolution:

  • Adjust regex pattern to match actual data format
  • Add supporting keywords to improve accuracy
  • Lower confidence threshold for initial testing
  • Wait 24-48 hours for classification to complete

Issue: High False Positive Rate

Symptoms: SIT flags content that isn't actually sensitive

Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Review flagged content in Content Explorer
  2. Identify common false positive patterns
  3. Check if supporting evidence is too broad

Resolution:

  • Increase confidence threshold (65 → 75 → 85)
  • Add negative keywords to exclude false positives
  • Require multiple evidence types (primary + corroborative)
  • Use proximity rules to require context

Issue: Custom SIT Not Appearing

Symptoms: Created SIT not available in DLP policy configuration

Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Check publishing status in Purview portal
  2. Verify you have correct permissions
  3. Check for validation errors in SIT definition

Resolution:

  • Wait 24-48 hours for propagation
  • Verify Purview Info Protection Admin role
  • Review SIT definition for syntax errors
  • Re-publish the SIT

Issue: EDM Classifier Not Matching

Symptoms: Exact Data Match not detecting known customer data

Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Verify EDM schema matches source data format
  2. Check hash table upload status
  3. Confirm data source is current

Resolution:

  • Regenerate hash table from current data
  • Verify column mappings match schema
  • Check for data format changes (dates, phone numbers)
  • Re-upload hash table after corrections

How to Confirm Configuration is Active

SIT Status

  1. Navigate to Microsoft Purview compliance portal
  2. Go to Data classification > Sensitive info types
  3. Verify SIT shows "Active" status
  4. Check "Last modified" date is current

Detection Testing

  1. Upload test document with known sensitive content
  2. Wait 24-48 hours for classification
  3. Search in Content Explorer for the SIT
  4. Verify document appears in results

DLP Integration

  1. Create test DLP policy using the SIT
  2. Set policy to "Test with notifications"
  3. Test with sample content
  4. Verify policy match in Activity Explorer

Escalation Path

If issues persist after troubleshooting:

  1. Purview Info Protection Admin - SIT configuration
  2. Purview Compliance Admin - Policy configuration
  3. Microsoft Support - Platform issues
  4. Legal/Compliance - Classification requirements

Known Limitations

Limitation Impact Workaround
24-48 hour classification delay Testing requires patience Use Content Explorer preview
Regex complexity limits Some patterns may not work Simplify or split into multiple SITs
EDM 10M row limit Large datasets need partitioning Segment by business unit or region
Keyword dictionary 100K limit Large dictionaries need splitting Create multiple keyword lists
No real-time testing Must wait for indexing Use PowerShell for pattern testing

Updated: January 2026 | Version: v1.2