Table of Contents
Summary
- A new feature in Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Premium) allows users to add a statistical sample of search results to a review set, enhancing early assessments of data relevance.
- Reviewers can configure sampling criteria such as confidence levels and percentages, streamlining the review process.
- The feature integrates with existing eDiscovery workflows without impacting permissions, access, or review set behaviors.
- Administrators and eDiscovery users will automatically have access to this capability without any required preparation.
- It’s classified as a major update with user and admin impact, reflecting significant enhancements for the eDiscovery process.
Admin Impact: Low
User Impact: Medium
Release Start: 28 Feb 2026
Release End: 31 Mar 2026
Services: Purview
Category: Stay informed
Tags: New Feature, User Adoption, Admin Action
History
2/5/2026 Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
Introduction
We’re introducing a new capability in Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Premium) that allows eDiscovery users to add a statistical sample of search results to a review set. This enhancement helps organizations validate search results earlier in the investigation process, improving confidence in data relevance before committing all results to review.
With this update, reviewers can include a representative subset of items based on configurable sampling criteria, enabling faster early‑stage assessment while reducing review volume.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 516578.
When this will happen
General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in late February 2026 and is expected to complete by late February 2026.
General Availability (GCC, GCCH, and DoD): Rollout will begin in early March 2026 and is expected to complete by late March 2026.
How this affects your organization
Who is affected: Administrators and eDiscovery (Premium) users who manage or review search results and review sets in Microsoft Purview.
What will happen:
- This change does not impact any other Microsoft Purview or Microsoft 365 services.
- Users will see new sampling options after search statistics have been generated for a search.
- Users can choose to add all search results to a review set or add a sample of results based on configurable statistical inputs.
- When sampling is selected, reviewers can specify:
- Confidence level
- Confidence interval
- Percentage‑based sampling options
- This capability integrates with existing eDiscovery workflows.
- No changes are made to permissions, access controls, or review set behaviors.
- No features are being removed or replaced.
- The feature will be available by default when it reaches your tenant.
What you can do to prepare
No prerequisites are required, and no action is needed to prepare for this change. The capability will become available automatically.
If helpful, you may consider:
- Reviewing internal eDiscovery workflows.
- Updating training or documentation to reflect how sampling can support early validation of search results.
Learn more about eDiscovery: Learn about eDiscovery solutions | Microsoft Learn
Learn more about adding search results to review set: Add search results to a review set in eDiscovery | Microsoft Learn
Compliance considerations
No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.