The answer is to use SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key that has automatic key rotation enabled. This configuration is correct because SSE-KMS encrypts objects at rest using AWS KMS, and customer-managed keys support automatic rotation, which can be set to a custom 90-day period via a scheduled Lambda function or AWS Config rule to meet strict compliance mandates. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to satisfy encryption and key rotation requirements for S3 data lakes accessed by Athena and Redshift Spectrum, with a common trap being that SSE-S3 or default KMS key rotation (annual) does not meet a 90-day compliance window. Remember that for custom rotation intervals, you must manage the schedule yourself, as AWS only provides automatic annual rotation for customer-managed keys. Memory tip: “Custom compliance calls for custom rotation—SSE-KMS with a customer key is your only option.”
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. 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 data engineering team is designing a data lake on Amazon S3. They need to store raw data in its original format and transformed data in Parquet. The data is accessed by multiple analytics services, including Amazon Athena and Amazon Redshift Spectrum. Compliance requirements mandate that all data be encrypted at rest with AWS KMS and that the encryption keys be rotated every 90 days. Which S3 bucket configuration 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 SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key that has automatic key rotation enabled.
Option A is correct because SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key allows you to enable automatic key rotation, which meets the 90-day rotation requirement. AWS KMS automatically rotates customer-managed keys annually, but you can also configure a custom rotation period (e.g., 90 days) using a Lambda function or AWS Config rule. This setup ensures raw and Parquet data are encrypted at rest, and the key rotation satisfies compliance mandates.
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 SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key that has automatic key rotation enabled.
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS with automatic rotation meets compliance requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use SSE-C with client-managed keys and rotate them manually.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C requires manual key rotation and does not use KMS.
✗
Use a bucket policy to enforce encryption and rely on default S3 encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policies do not encrypt data; they only enforce encryption.
✗
Use SSE-S3 with default encryption enabled.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 does not support customer-managed key rotation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume SSE-S3 or default encryption meets the rotation requirement because AWS rotates keys automatically, but they overlook the need for a configurable 90-day rotation period, which only SSE-KMS with a customer-managed key can support.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS KMS customer-managed keys support automatic annual rotation by default, but for a 90-day rotation, you must implement a custom solution (e.g., a scheduled Lambda function that creates a new KMS key and updates the S3 bucket policy or uses key aliases). Under the hood, KMS uses envelope encryption: the data is encrypted with a data key, which is then encrypted by the KMS key; rotating the KMS key does not re-encrypt existing objects unless you explicitly re-encrypt them. In real-world scenarios, compliance teams often require key rotation every 90 days for regulatory standards like PCI DSS, and SSE-KMS with custom rotation is the only S3 option that provides this granularity.
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 SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key that has automatic key rotation enabled. — Option A is correct because SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key allows you to enable automatic key rotation, which meets the 90-day rotation requirement. AWS KMS automatically rotates customer-managed keys annually, but you can also configure a custom rotation period (e.g., 90 days) using a Lambda function or AWS Config rule. This setup ensures raw and Parquet data are encrypted at rest, and the key rotation satisfies compliance mandates.
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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