The answer is that the user lacks DESCRIBE permission on the table in Lake Formation. While SELECT permission allows querying the table through Athena, it does not grant the ability to view the table’s metadata—such as the underlying S3 data location or table properties—in the AWS Glue Data Catalog. This separation of permissions is a core concept tested on the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, often appearing as a trap where candidates assume SELECT covers all read operations. A common memory tip is to think of DESCRIBE as “describe the table’s structure” and SELECT as “select the data,” meaning you need DESCRIBE to see the table’s metadata in the catalog, even if you can query it.
DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data security and governance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 troubleshooting an AWS Lake Formation permissions issue. A user is able to query an Amazon Athena table but cannot see the underlying S3 data in the AWS Glue Data Catalog. The user has been granted SELECT permission on the table in Lake Formation. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The user does not have DESCRIBE permission on the table in Lake Formation.
In AWS Lake Formation, the ability to query a table via Athena (which requires SELECT permission) is separate from the ability to view the table's metadata in the Glue Data Catalog. To see the underlying S3 data location or table properties in the catalog, a user needs DESCRIBE permission on the table. Without DESCRIBE, the table appears invisible in the Glue console or API, even though SELECT queries succeed.
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.
✓
The user does not have DESCRIBE permission on the table in Lake Formation.
Why this is correct
SELECT permission allows querying but not viewing the table metadata; DESCRIBE is needed to see the table in the catalog.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The data location is not registered with Lake Formation.
Why it's wrong here
If the table exists, the location is likely registered.
✗
The S3 bucket policy does not grant the user access.
Why it's wrong here
Lake Formation can grant access without explicit bucket policy.
✗
The user does not have the aws:SourceArn condition in the IAM policy.
Why it's wrong here
This is not required for accessing the Data Catalog.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume SELECT permission is sufficient for all table interactions, overlooking that Lake Formation separates metadata visibility (DESCRIBE) from data access (SELECT).
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Lake Formation uses a fine-grained permission model where SELECT, DESCRIBE, and ALTER are distinct actions on Data Catalog resources. The DESCRIBE permission controls access to the table metadata (schema, location, partitions) via the Glue API, while SELECT controls data access via query engines. A common real-world scenario is when a data engineer grants SELECT for querying but forgets DESCRIBE, causing confusion when users cannot browse tables in the Glue console.
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: The user does not have DESCRIBE permission on the table in Lake Formation. — In AWS Lake Formation, the ability to query a table via Athena (which requires SELECT permission) is separate from the ability to view the table's metadata in the Glue Data Catalog. To see the underlying S3 data location or table properties in the catalog, a user needs DESCRIBE permission on the table. Without DESCRIBE, the table appears invisible in the Glue console or API, even though SELECT queries succeed.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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