Refining your Copilot results: Why retention matters for AI accuracy

Microsoft Purview automates retention schedules and categorises data by importance.

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Generative AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot are game-changers for saving time and boosting productivity. But let’s be honest – sometimes the responses don’t quite hit the mark.

If you’ve ever received less-than-helpful (or worse, inaccurate) results, it’s tempting to blame the AI. The truth, though, is that Copilot’s accuracy depends entirely on the data it’s working with. If that data is cluttered with outdated or irrelevant information, Copilot’s responses can miss the point.

The good news? You can significantly improve Copilot’s performance by implementing smart retention and disposition policies to ensure it works with clean, relevant and compliant data.

Let’s explore why this matters, and how to get started.

There are a few reasons why Copilot might deliver unexpected or off-target results. These are the most common ones that we’ve seen so far:

• Low quality data input: If your data is incomplete or inaccurate, Copilot’s responses will be, too.
• No context: Copilot relies on well-organised and labelled data to understand the bigger picture.
• Natural language hiccups: Sometimes, nuances in language can trip up even the most advanced AI.
• Limitations in training data: If Copilot hasn’t been exposed to your industry’s terminology or it’s working with outdated knowledge, its responses may lack relevance.

While AI models like Copilot improve over time, the reality is that they will always reflect the quality of the data they’re given. No matter how intelligent your AI, if your systems are full of irrelevant or obsolete data, those issues will persist.

This is where data life cycle management comes into play. By defining what data to keep (retention) and what to delete or archive (disposition), you can ensure that your systems stay clean, organised and AI-friendly.

Retention policies (keeping the good stuff)

What they do: Retention policies determine how long specific data needs to be kept in your organisation.

Why they help: They ensure that important information is securely stored and remains accessible for decision-making, compliance or historical reference.

Pro tip: Use tools like Microsoft Purview to automate retention schedules and categorise data by importance.

Disposition policies (clearing the junk)

What they do: Disposition policies outline the procedure for safely disposing of data that’s no longer needed – old, irrelevant or redundant files, e-mails, media, etc.

Why they help: Less ROT (redundant, obsolete, trivial data) reduces risk and creates less noise for Copilot to sift through, giving you cleaner, more relevant AI responses.

Pro tip: Regular data audits and automated clean-up tools can make disposition dramatically easier and more successful.

Why data life cycle management matters for AI

Think of Copilot as your incredibly clever (but occasionally literal) assistant. If you don’t clean up your data, you’re leaving it to guess what’s useful. It might pull insights from five-year-old sales reports, not realising they’re no longer relevant, or even surface outdated and inappropriate terminology from long-retired customer service scripts.

A little digital housekeeping goes a long way towards ensuring your AI is working with the freshest, most useful information, and avoids potentially embarrassing (or downright damaging) missteps.

If data life cycle management sounds overwhelming to you, you’re not alone. The good news is that tools like Microsoft Purview can help automate a lot of the heavy lifting.

With Purview, you can:

• Apply retention policies automatically based on data type or sensitivity.
• Flag and clean up ROT data to declutter your systems.
• Stay compliant with data protection laws like GDPR or CCPA without manually sifting through every file​​​.

Cloud Essentials understands that refining your data for Copilot isn’t just a technical challenge – it’s also a strategic one. Creating a data life cycle management strategy requires time, expertise and, often, cross-departmental collaboration. That’s where Cloud Essentials comes in.

Here’s how Cloud Essentials can support you

1. Pinpointing relevant data: The company helps identify which data is critical and which is clutter. Cloud Essentials' detailed analysis ensures that Copilot works with only accurate, up-to-date information.
2. Balancing retention and deletion: Striking the right balance between keeping essential data and removing irrelevant information is key. Cloud Essentials creates retention and disposition policies tailored to your needs.
3. Ensuring compliance: With evolving regulations like GDPR and CCPA, compliance is a moving target. The company implements policies that meet these standards and ensures Copilot doesn’t surface inappropriate or restricted data.
4. Maintaining data integrity: High-quality, reliable data is essential for Copilot. Cloud Essentials implements robust security measures and continuous monitoring to prevent corruption or unauthorised access.
5. Maximising resources: Implementing life cycle strategies takes time and effort, but Cloud Essentials' pragmatic approach simplifies the process. Using tools like Microsoft Purview, the company automates much of the work to free up your team for other priorities.

Bringing it all together

If you want Copilot (or any AI) to deliver its best, your data has to be in great shape. Think of it as a two-way relationship: the better your data, the smarter and more accurate your AI will be.

By implementing smart retention and disposition policies, you’re giving Copilot the clean, relevant data it needs to shine.

How Cloud Essentials can help

If you’d like to find out more and gather insights from experts, join the company’s webinar on 16 September at 2pm SAST. Cloud Essentials’ experts will be joined by a Microsoft Security Specialist and they’ll be discussing how to use Microsoft Purview to put strong, scalable data governance in place to support a confident, successful roll-out of Copilot. Register here.

And if the date has passed, use the link to catch up with the webinar on demand.