The correct answer is to use server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) and enable automatic key rotation. This solution satisfies all requirements because SSE-KMS encrypts sensitive PII at rest in S3 using a customer master key managed by AWS Key Management Service, and enabling automatic key rotation ensures the key is rotated every 90 days as mandated by the company policy. Additionally, every use of the KMS key is logged in AWS CloudTrail, providing the necessary access logging for auditing. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to combine encryption, compliance-driven rotation schedules, and auditability without resorting to external key management or client-side encryption—a common trap is choosing SSE-S3, which lacks rotation control and logging granularity. Remember the memory tip: “SSE-KMS gives you logs and rotates, SSE-S3 just encrypts and waits.”
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 data engineer is designing a data lake on Amazon S3. The data consists of sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) that must be encrypted at rest. The company requires that encryption keys be rotated every 90 days and that access to the keys be logged. Which encryption solution meets these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) and enable automatic key rotation.
SSE-KMS with automatic key rotation (Option D) meets the requirements because it encrypts data at rest in S3, allows key rotation every 90 days via AWS KMS automatic rotation, and logs all key usage in AWS CloudTrail for auditing. This provides the necessary encryption, rotation, and access logging without managing keys externally.
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.
✗
Use server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C).
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C requires the customer to provide keys with each request and does not support automatic rotation.
✗
Use client-side encryption with a master key stored in AWS Secrets Manager.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption shifts key management to the client; AWS does not control rotation.
✗
Use server-side encryption with S3 managed keys (SSE-S3).
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 does not support key rotation or detailed access logging.
✓
Use server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) and enable automatic key rotation.
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS provides customer-managed keys with rotation and logging via CloudTrail.
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 often confuse SSE-S3's automatic annual rotation with the required 90-day rotation, or assume SSE-C or client-side encryption can meet logging and rotation requirements without realizing they lack native AWS rotation and auditing capabilities.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS KMS automatic key rotation creates new cryptographic material annually by default, but you can configure a custom rotation period (e.g., 90 days) using a custom key store or by manually rotating the key. Key usage is logged via CloudTrail data events, which record every Decrypt, Encrypt, and GenerateDataKey call, enabling compliance auditing. SSE-KMS also supports envelope encryption, where a data key encrypts the object and is itself encrypted by the KMS key, reducing KMS API calls for large objects.
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 Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) and enable automatic key rotation. — SSE-KMS with automatic key rotation (Option D) meets the requirements because it encrypts data at rest in S3, allows key rotation every 90 days via AWS KMS automatic rotation, and logs all key usage in AWS CloudTrail for auditing. This provides the necessary encryption, rotation, and access logging without managing keys externally.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A data engineer is designing a data lake on Amazon S3. The data includes customer PII that must be encrypted at rest. The company also requires that the encryption keys be rotated automatically every year. Which encryption solution should the engineer use?
easy
✓ A.SSE-KMS with automatic key rotation enabled
B.SSE-S3
C.SSE-C
D.Client-side encryption with AWS KMS
Why A: SSE-KMS with automatic key rotation enabled meets both requirements: it encrypts data at rest in S3 and allows the company to automatically rotate the customer master key (CMK) every year. AWS KMS supports automatic annual rotation for symmetric CMKs, which satisfies the compliance need without manual intervention.
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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.
Question Discussion
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