Microsoft Sentinel provides a rich set of data visualizations in the form of workbook templates. These workbook templates facilitate easy analysis of data by providing pre-built insights and analytics reports. As a Microsoft Security Operations Analyst preparing for the SC-200 exam, knowing how to activate and customize these workbook templates is vital.
Activating Microsoft Sentinel Workbook Templates
To activate a workbook template in Microsoft Sentinel, please follow these steps:
- In Microsoft Sentinel, go to Workbooks on the navigation pane.
- You are now presented with the templates gallery. Select the workbook template you want to activate.
- Click Save. The workbook will now be saved under My Workbooks.
Note: Workbook templates contain various visualization panels, also known as “tiles”. Think of these panels as mini-reports, each showing a different aspect of your data.
Customizing Microsoft Sentinel Workbook Templates
After activating a workbook template, you may need to customize it to suit your data analysis requirements better. Microsoft Sentinel allows you to clone and modify these templates. To customize a workbook template, follow these steps:
- Navigate to My Workbooks and select the workbook you want to customize.
- Click Clone at the top right corner of the workbook. This step creates a clone of the workbook that you can customize without modifying the original one.
- You are now in the editing mode. From here, you can add, remove, or modify panels.
- Adding a Panel:
- Click Add query.
- Write the query for the data you want to analyze in the query window.
- Click Run query.
- When the data appears, select the type of visualization you prefer using the drop-down list.
- Click Done editing.
- Modifying a Panel:
- Click on the Edit button (represented as a pencil icon) on the panel you wish to change.
- Modify the query or the visualization as desired.
- Click Done editing.
- Removing a Panel:
- Click the Delete button (represented as a trash bin icon) on the panel you wish to remove.
- Confirm your action in the pop-up window.
- Adding a Panel:
- When you finish customizing your workbook, click Save. Remember to name your workbook for easy identification.
It’s important to note that the customization options are augmented using the Kusto Query Language (KQL). This is Microsoft’s own language designed to query large datasets on the Azure cloud platform. Prior understanding of KQL is useful when framing queries and panels.
Let’s illustrate this with an example:
Imagine you want to track failed login attempts in your Azure Active Directory. You clone the ‘Azure Active Directory – Sign-ins’ workbook and modify a panel’s query to show only failed attempts.
The modified KQL query might look something like this:
SigninLogs
| where ResultType != 0
Quickly activating and customizing workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel allows you to enjoy the power of data visualizations, understand your data better, and make informed decisions as a Security Operations Analyst.
Remember, practice makes perfect. Continuously working with these templates will give you a firm grasp on how to best exploit them for your organizational needs, thus preparing you for the SC-200 Microsoft Security Operations Analyst exam.
Practice Test
True/False: Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates can be duplicated for customization.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Users can duplicate Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates, enabling them to modify and customise the copy while the original template remains unchanged.
Multiple Select: Which of the following are possible customization options for Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates?
- a) Changing the data source.
- b) Adding new queries.
- c) Changing the visual layout.
- d) Renaming the workbook.
Answer: a) Changing the data source, b) Adding new queries, c) Changing the visual layout.
Explanation: Microsoft Sentinel allows extensive customization of workbook templates, including the ability to change data sources, add new queries, and alter the visual layout.
True/False: You cannot share customized Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates with other users in your organization.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Customized Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates can be shared with other users in an organization, allowing for collaborative work and analysis.
Single Select: What is the first step to customize a Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates?
- a) Save the template.
- b) Duplicate the template.
- c) Share the template.
- d) Delete the template.
Answer: b) Duplicate the template.
Explanation: Duplication is the first step to customise a Microsoft Sentinel workbook template. It enables users to make alterations without changing the original template.
True/False: Customizing Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates requires data reprocessing.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Customizing Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates doesn’t require data reprocessing as the data is already existing and processed.
Single Select: After customizing a Microsoft Sentinel workbook template, where can you save it?
- a) Your private workspace.
- b) Shared workspace.
- c) Azure portal.
- d) Both a) and b).
Answer: d) Both a) and b).
Explanation: After customizing, you can save Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates to both your private workspace and your organization’s shared workspace.
True/False: Workbooks and workbook templates are the same in Microsoft Sentinel.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel provide a predefined layout but workbooks are instances of these templates which can be customised.
Multiple Select: How can workbook templates facilitate threat detection in Microsoft Sentinel?
- a) Aggregating data.
- b) Providing an interface for running analytical rules.
- c) Visualizing data.
- d) Sending alerts.
Answer: a) Aggregating data, c) Visualizing data.
Explanation: Workbook templates facilitate threat detection by providing ways to aggregate and visualize data, making it easier to detect patterns or inconsistencies.
True/False: When you duplicate a Microsoft Sentinel workbook template, the original data gets deleted.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: When you duplicate a workbook template, the data of the original workbook template does not get deleted. The original remains untouched and a copy is created for customization.
Single Select: What is the main purpose of workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel?
- a) Data storage
- b) Network monitoring
- c) Analyzing and studying data
- d) Processing data
Answer: c) Analyzing and studying data
Explanation: Workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel primarily provide visually interactive ways to analyze and study data.
Interview Questions
What is Microsoft Sentinel?
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native Security Information Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration Automated Response (SOAR) solution. It delivers intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence across the enterprise, providing a single solution for alert detection, threat visibility, proactive hunting, and threat response.
What are workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel?
Workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel are customizable and interactive dashboards that provide insights based on your data analytics queries. They provide visibility into your data and alerts, allowing you to drill down and gain more insights.
How can you activate a workbook template in Microsoft Sentinel?
To activate a workbook template in Microsoft Sentinel, go to the Microsoft Sentinel navigation menu > Workbooks. Choose a template and use the “Save” option to add it to your workspace.
Can you customize workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel?
Yes, workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel are customizable. You can modify the existing queries, add new queries, or change how the data is visualized according to your requirements and preferences.
What languages are used to define the queries in Sentinel workbook templates?
Kusto Query Language (KQL) is used to define the queries in Sentinel workbook templates.
What are the steps to customize a Microsoft Sentinel workbook?
To customize a workbook, open the workbook you want to customize, click Edit at the top, make your changes such as modifying a query or changing the visual, and then click Save.
What role is required to manage workbook templates?
To manage workbook templates, you need the “Security admin” or “Global admin” role in Microsoft 365.
Can you share customized workbooks in Microsoft Sentinel?
Yes, you can share your customized workbooks with others in your organization by saving the workbook in the shared workbooks area.
How to import external workbook templates into Microsoft Sentinel?
To import external workbook templates, go to Workbooks > My Workbook > Import and then select the JSON file of the template you want to import.
Can you export workbook templates from Microsoft Sentinel?
Yes, you can export workbook templates as a JSON file from the Microsoft Sentinel.
How do you manage access to shared workbooks in Microsoft Sentinel?
Access to shared workbooks is managed through Azure role-based access control (RBAC) permissions in Microsoft Sentinel.
What types of data can Sentinel workbooks visualize?
Sentinel workbooks can visualize any log data that is ingested into the Log Analytics workspace.
What are the benefits of using Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates?
Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates provide ready-made dashboards, reports, and explorations. They allow you to visualize and interact with your data, understand and investigate incidents, and monitor your Sentinel environment.
What are some examples of queries you might create in a workbook template?
Some examples of queries might include creating a time chart of alerts over the past week, listing all incidents with a certain severity level, or displaying the distribution of events by type or source.
Are there any costs involved with using Microsoft Sentinel workbook templates?
There is no additional cost for using workbook templates in Microsoft Sentinel. However, the standard Log Analytics usage costs may apply.
extutorials.com