The correct combination is enabling Amazon Redshift audit logging to an S3 bucket and configuring AWS CloudTrail to log Redshift API calls. This meets the requirement because CloudTrail captures administrative actions like CreateCluster or ModifyCluster, providing an audit trail of who did what to the cluster, while Redshift’s native audit logging records the actual query text, connection logs, and user activity logs directly to an S3 bucket for long-term retention and analysis. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding that query-level auditing requires native Redshift logging, not just CloudTrail, which only covers API-level events. A common trap is selecting only CloudTrail, thinking it captures all activity, but it misses the SQL queries themselves. Remember the memory tip: “CloudTrail for the rail (API calls), Redshift logs for the shift (query text).”
DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data security and governance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company uses Amazon Redshift to store customer data. The security team requires that all queries are logged for auditing purposes. Which combination of steps should be taken to meet this requirement? (Select TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS CloudTrail to log Redshift API calls.
Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail can be configured to log Redshift API calls, such as CreateCluster, DeleteCluster, and ModifyCluster, which provides an audit trail of administrative actions. Option E is correct because Amazon Redshift supports native audit logging, including connection logs, user activity logs, and query logs, which can be exported to an Amazon S3 bucket for long-term retention and analysis.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Enable AWS CloudTrail database audit logging.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail does not support database audit logging.
✓
Use AWS CloudTrail to log Redshift API calls.
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs API calls, including query execution.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable logging on the Redshift security group.
Why it's wrong here
Security group logs network traffic, not queries.
✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs for the Redshift cluster.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic, not queries.
✓
Enable Amazon Redshift audit logging to an S3 bucket.
Why this is correct
This logs all SQL queries.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse AWS CloudTrail's ability to log API calls with database-level query logging, leading them to incorrectly select CloudTrail as the sole solution, while overlooking the need for Redshift's native audit logging to capture actual SQL queries.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon Redshift audit logging captures query text, user names, timestamps, and execution details, which are written to CSV files in a specified S3 bucket. CloudTrail complements this by recording management events (e.g., cluster operations) but does not log SELECT or INSERT statements. For compliance, you typically enable both: CloudTrail for administrative actions and Redshift audit logging for data access patterns.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Data Security and Governance — This question tests Data Security and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS CloudTrail to log Redshift API calls. — Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail can be configured to log Redshift API calls, such as CreateCluster, DeleteCluster, and ModifyCluster, which provides an audit trail of administrative actions. Option E is correct because Amazon Redshift supports native audit logging, including connection logs, user activity logs, and query logs, which can be exported to an Amazon S3 bucket for long-term retention and analysis.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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