Which feature can be used to automate data discovery through the provision of data scanning and classification as a service?

Azure Purview is designed specifically for automating data discovery, scanning, and classification across various data sources. This service enables organizations to gain visibility into their data landscape by creating a comprehensive map of their data assets. Azure Purview scans data sources, identifies sensitive data, and automatically classifies it, allowing for better data governance and compliance with regulations.

By providing a unified view of data resources and insights into data lineage, Azure Purview supports data professionals in managing their data effectively. The automation capabilities significantly reduce the manual efforts typically required for data classification and maintain an up-to-date catalog of data assets.

Other options, while relevant to data management or big data scenarios, do not focus specifically on data discovery and classification in the same comprehensive manner. Azure Data Lake is more about storing large volumes of data, Azure Data Factory focuses on data integration and transformation, and Azure SQL Data Warehouse (now part of Azure Synapse Analytics) is oriented towards data warehousing and analytics capabilities. None of these provide the specific automated features for scanning and classifying data as effectively as Azure Purview does.