What are the benefits of Microsoft Purview’s Exact Data Match (EDM)? This question is explored in the latest episode of the All Things M365 Compliance Podcast: Mastering Microsoft Purview Exact Data Match. In today’s world, where data breaches are becoming increasingly common, protecting your organization’s sensitive information is critical. However, traditional data classification methods often rely on patterns and keywords, which can lead to false positives and inefficiencies, complicating efforts to protect data. The advantage of EDM is that it provides a precise solution, enabling you to classify and secure your data using exact values from your structured sources, such as an employee list.
In this latest episode of the All Things M365 Compliance Podcast/Vodcast, Ewelina Paczkowska joins hosts Nikki Chapple and Ryan John Murphy to explore mastering Microsoft Purview’s Exact Data Match and discuss its benefits and practical functionality.
What is Microsoft Purview Exact Data Match?
EDM enables the creation of custom sensitive information types (SITs) based on precise values from structured data sources, such as employee or customer records. Unlike traditional SITs that rely on pattern recognition and keywords, EDM uses exact data values—such as names, employee IDs, dates of birth, and email addresses—significantly reducing false positives and improving accuracy. This is especially beneficial for organizations handling large volumes of structured sensitive data, including financial institutions, healthcare providers, and enterprises managing customer information.
What are the Benefits of Using Microsoft Purview Exact Data Match
Implementing EDM in your data classification strategy provides several significant advantages:
- Enhanced Accuracy – By matching against exact data values, EDM minimizes false positives, ensuring only relevant data is classified.
- Scalability – Supports up to 100 million rows of structured data, with daily refresh capabilities to maintain up-to-date classification.
- Robust Security – Data remains within the organization’s control; no data is shared externally, including with Microsoft.
- Versatile Integration – Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Purview solutions, including Auto-labeling, DLP, Insider Risk Management, and eDiscovery.
How Does Microsoft Purview Exact Data Match Work? (new experience)?
The diagram below illustrates the sensitive data that requires protection, including PatientID, FirstName, LastName, and DOB. After uploading to Microsoft Purview, the structured data fields are mapped to SITs, and classification rules are applied. This information is then used to find precise matches within your Microsoft 365 content.
Creating an EDM based SITs is a multi-phase process consisting of several key steps:
Step 1: Export Source Data
Extract your sensitive data into a CSV, TSV, or pipe-separated format and create a sample file.
Step 2: Create an EDM SIT Schema and Rule Package
Define the schema by mapping specific columns as primary matches to sensitive information types. The rule package determines the conditions under which the data will be classified.
Step 3: Hash and Upload Data
Use hashing techniques to encrypt and securely upload the structured data into Microsoft Purview.
Step 4: Test Your Microsoft Purview EDM SITs
Validate the accuracy of your classification by testing sample files against your configured Microsoft Purview Exact Data Match SITs. This step ensures that the defined rules work correctly before applying them to broader datasets.
Step 5: Apply Policies
Once tested, integrate EDM SITs into Microsoft Purview Auto-labeling (service and client-side), Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Insider Risk Management, and eDiscovery to enhance data protection.
🎙️📹 Watch or Listen to the All Things M365 Compliance vodcast/podcast as Ryan John Murphy and Nikki Chapple chat with Ewelina Paczkowska about Mastering Purview Exact Data Match.
Alternatively, you can listen to the All Things M365 Compliance podcast episode with Ewelina Paczkowska about Mastering Purview Exact Data Match on Spotify
References
For more detailed information on EDM, check out:
🔗 Microsoft Learn
- Learn about exact data match based sensitive information types | Microsoft Learn
- Get started with exact data match based sensitive information types | Microsoft Learn
- Create exact data match sensitive information type in the New Experience workflow | Microsoft Learn
🔗 Ewelina Paczkowska’s Blog Series
- Understanding Exact Data Match (EDM) Classifier in Microsoft Purview – part 1
- https://www.welkasworld.com/post/understanding-exact-data-match-edm-classifier-in-microsoft-purview-part-2
- https://www.welkasworld.com/post/understanding-exact-data-match-edm-classifier-in-microsoft-purview-part-3
🔗 All Things M365 Compliance Podcast
Read more blog posts on the All Things M365 Compliance Podcast, and don’t forget to subscribe via your favorite channel.
