On the Baseline alignment page, you can:
- Compare the configuration state of the tenant you are signed in to with a selected baseline.
- Identify which configuration properties differ, and decide whether to align them or accept them as approved deviations.
- Prepare a deployment to align your configurations to the baseline.
Navigating Baseline alignment
Last update indicator
The “Last update” indicator shows how recent the target tenant data is for the comparison.
The value is displayed in relative time, such as seconds, minutes, or hours ago. Hover over the value to view the exact date and time.
For Baseline alignment, this check runs automatically every six hours, subject to Microsoft throttling limits. No manual refresh is required.
Target tenant widget
The Target tenant widget identifies the tenant where deployment actions will be applied. The widget also displays the tenant deployment status, which determines whether a new deployment can be started.
Reference widget
Use the Reference widget to choose the industry baseline you want to align your current configuration with. When you select a different baseline, the alignment information and configuration alignment score are updated.
Select the star icon next to a baseline name to set it as the preferred baseline. The next time you open this use case, the baseline marked as preferred is preloaded automatically. The preferred baseline is also used in the Security dashboard and contributes to the Security Score calculation.
Alignment score
The Alignment score shows the percentage of configuration alignment between the current state of the target tenant and the selected industry baseline.
This score reflects configuration alignment only. It differs from the full Security Score in the Security dashboard, which includes both the Configuration Alignment Score and the Resource Score.
List of configurations and filters
The list of configurations compares the selected industry baseline with the current state of the target tenant. It shows both aligned and misaligned configurations.
Configurations are initially displayed at the configuration type level. Expand a row to review individual configuration and available actions.
Status filters
You can use the status filters to navigate the configuration list and show only configurations with a specific alignment state:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| All | Shows all configurations in scope, regardless of their status. |
| Unaccepted deviation | The configuration exists both in the tenant and in the reference baseline, but its values are conflicting. |
| Recommended from baseline | The configuration exists in the reference baseline but is not present in the current state. |
| Accepted deviation | The configuration values in the tenant and in the reference baseline differ, and the deviation is approved. |
| Aligned | The current configuration matches the reference baseline. |
| Skipped | The most recent completed read is older than the scheduled read interval for the scope. |
Workload filters and search
Alternatively, you can:
- Use the “Search” field to find configuration types or individual configurations in the current list.
- Use Workload filters to restrict the configuration list to one or more Microsoft 365 workloads.