Data Protection Issues

How to Create a Microsoft 365 DLP Policy for Personal Data

Steven Parker Oct 20, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to configure a Microsoft 365 Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy to detect and protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) across Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive.

How to Create a Microsoft 365 DLP Policy for Personal Data

Product: Microsoft 365
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Setting up a DLP policy to safeguard sensitive personal data, specifically involving Exact Data Match (EDM) configuration and hash generation.
Observed behavior: Advanced configurations like Exact Data Match hashing may fail or stall, requiring backend log examination and administrative support from Microsoft to resolve.

Before you start

Ensure you are signed in with an account that has Global Administrator or Compliance Administrator privileges in your Microsoft 365 tenant before attempting to create DLP policies.

Solution 1Recommended

Contact Microsoft 365 Support for EDM Configuration Issues

Because Exact Data Match (EDM) hash generation involves complex backend processing, contacting Microsoft Online Support is the most effective way to resolve deployment failures.

Setting up custom Exact Data Match types requires processing and indexing raw sensitive data databases. If this process encounters errors, the Microsoft 365 Online Support team needs to collect relevant logs and examine the back end to fix the problem.

Access the Admin Center

Navigate to Support

On the bottom right of the admin dashboard, click on the 'Help & Support' button to open the support pane.

Describe the Issue

Type 'EDM hashing issue' or 'DLP policy configuration' in the search bar and press Enter to view preliminary automated solutions.

Submit a Support Request

Click 'Contact support' at the bottom of the pane, provide your contact details and a detailed description of the Exact Data Match logs you need investigated, and submit the ticket.

Contact Microsoft 365 Support for EDM Configuration Issues

Support Requirement: Only users with administrative roles can open support requests via the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Solution 2

Create a Basic PII DLP Policy in Microsoft Purview

If you do not strictly require Exact Data Match, you can use built-in templates to quickly set up a DLP policy for standard personal data.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Exact Data Match (EDM) in Microsoft 365 DLP?

Exact Data Match (EDM) is an advanced feature in Microsoft Purview that allows you to create custom sensitive information types. It detects data that exactly matches entries in a custom database you upload, such as a spreadsheet of specific customer names and phone numbers.

Why does EDM hash generation fail?

EDM hashing can fail due to formatting errors in the source data file, exceeding size limitations, or backend synchronization delays. When these occur, Microsoft support needs to retrieve backend logs to pinpoint the exact failure point.

Can I apply a DLP policy to specific users only?

Yes. During the DLP policy creation wizard in the Microsoft Purview portal, you can explicitly include or exclude specific users, distribution groups, or SharePoint sites from the policy.

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