DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A company uses Amazon QuickSight for data visualization. The data engineer needs to ensure that users can only see data relevant to their department. The data is stored in Amazon S3 and is accessed via SPICE. The engineer has created datasets in QuickSight and wants to implement row-level security (RLS). The dataset contains a column 'Department' that indicates which department a row belongs to. The engineer has configured RLS rules using a separate permissions dataset. However, users report that they can see all rows, not just their department's rows. What is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
DEA-C01 often tests the assumption that SPICE does not support RLS or that a missing column is the cause — the real trap is recognizing that RLS failures usually stem from identity-mapping mismatches in the permissions dataset, not from SPICE limitations.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The RLS permissions dataset is not correctly configured to map users to department values.
RLS in QuickSight works by matching the user's identity (via username or group) against rules in a permissions dataset that maps users/groups to allowed values of a column (e.g., Department). If users see all rows, the most likely cause is that the permissions dataset is not correctly mapping users to department values — for example, wrong usernames, missing group mappings, or a dataset that does not join properly to the main dataset.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The RLS permissions dataset is not correctly configured to map users to department values.
Why this is correct
The permissions dataset must map each user or group to specific Department values; if its columns or entries are malformed, QuickSight applies no matching rule and defaults to showing all rows. Correctly mapping users to department values satisfies the stem's requirement that each user sees only their own department's data.
- ✗
The 'Department' column is not included in the dataset.
Why it's wrong here
RLS requires the column named in the permissions dataset to exist in the dataset being filtered; without 'Department', no rule can match and all rows are returned. It is tempting because missing columns break filters, and it would be correct if the dataset lacked that field.
- ✗
The users have been granted admin access to the QuickSight dashboard.
Why it's wrong here
Admin access grants broad QuickSight authoring and administrative permissions, but RLS is applied at dataset query time and still filters rows for admins unless they are explicitly exempted. It is tempting because elevated privileges often bypass controls; here the likely cause is a misconfigured permissions dataset or missing user-to-group mapping.
- ✗
The SPICE dataset does not support row-level security.
Why it's wrong here
SPICE datasets fully support row-level security; RLS is applied at query time regardless of whether data is imported or directly queried. It is tempting because import modes sometimes restrict features, and it would be correct only if the engine genuinely lacked RLS, which it does not.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
About these practice questions
This DEA-C01 question is part of Courseiva's 1,321-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This DEA-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DEA-C01 exam.