- A
The data in S3 is not encrypted, so Lake Formation cannot enforce column-level security.
Why wrong: Encryption is not a prerequisite for column-level security.
- B
The S3 bucket policy grants direct access to the IAM role, bypassing Lake Formation.
Why wrong: Lake Formation should be the only access control; direct S3 access would bypass it.
- C
The IAM role does not have the necessary Lake Formation permissions; it only has IAM permissions to the S3 data.
Lake Formation column-level security requires that the principal has Lake Formation 'SELECT' permission on the table and columns, and that the principal does not have direct S3 access.
- D
The Lake Formation tag 'PII' is not properly associated with the columns.
Why wrong: The tag is assigned, so that is not the issue.
Quick Answer
The answer is that the IAM role bypasses Lake Formation column-level security because it has direct IAM permissions to the S3 data rather than relying on Lake Formation permissions. Lake Formation acts as a centralized access control layer, and when an IAM role holds direct S3 GetObject or ListBucket permissions, it can read the underlying Parquet or CSV files without consulting Lake Formation’s tag-based policies, effectively ignoring the PII column restrictions. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that Lake Formation security only applies when the table is registered as a data lake location and the principal has Lake Formation grants—not just IAM S3 access. A common trap is assuming that applying tags and granting SELECT in Lake Formation is sufficient, but if the role can access S3 directly, it will bypass Lake Formation entirely. Memory tip: “Lake Formation first, S3 last”—always check that the IAM role lacks direct S3 permissions before troubleshooting column-level security.
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 engineering team uses AWS Glue Data Catalog to manage metadata for datasets in Amazon S3. The datasets contain personally identifiable information (PII). The team needs to implement column-level security so that only authorized users can access columns with PII. They use Amazon Athena for querying. The team has enabled AWS Lake Formation and defined data lake locations. They have created a Lake Formation tag called 'PII' and assigned it to the columns containing PII. They have also granted 'SELECT' permission on those columns to a specific IAM role. However, when a user assumes that role and queries the table using Athena, they can still see all columns, including the PII columns. 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 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 IAM role does not have the necessary Lake Formation permissions; it only has IAM permissions to the S3 data.
Option C is correct because Lake Formation column-level security requires that the table be registered as a data lake location in Lake Formation and that the IAM role has Lake Formation permissions, not just IAM permissions. The IAM role might be bypassing Lake Formation if it has S3 permissions directly. Option A is wrong because the tags are applied correctly. Option B is wrong because the S3 bucket policy should not allow direct access; Lake Formation should be the access point. Option D is wrong because disabling encryption would not cause this issue.
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 data in S3 is not encrypted, so Lake Formation cannot enforce column-level security.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption is not a prerequisite for column-level security.
- ✗
The S3 bucket policy grants direct access to the IAM role, bypassing Lake Formation.
Why it's wrong here
Lake Formation should be the only access control; direct S3 access would bypass it.
- ✓
The IAM role does not have the necessary Lake Formation permissions; it only has IAM permissions to the S3 data.
Why this is correct
Lake Formation column-level security requires that the principal has Lake Formation 'SELECT' permission on the table and columns, and that the principal does not have direct S3 access.
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 Lake Formation tag 'PII' is not properly associated with the columns.
Why it's wrong here
The tag is assigned, so that is not the issue.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Data Security and Governance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
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 IAM role does not have the necessary Lake Formation permissions; it only has IAM permissions to the S3 data. — Option C is correct because Lake Formation column-level security requires that the table be registered as a data lake location in Lake Formation and that the IAM role has Lake Formation permissions, not just IAM permissions. The IAM role might be bypassing Lake Formation if it has S3 permissions directly. Option A is wrong because the tags are applied correctly. Option B is wrong because the S3 bucket policy should not allow direct access; Lake Formation should be the access point. Option D is wrong because disabling encryption would not cause this issue.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on DEA-C01
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 company is using AWS Glue to catalog data in S3. The security team wants to ensure that only authorized users can access the Glue Data Catalog and that data lineage is tracked. Which AWS services can be used together to meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
easy- A.AWS CloudTrail
- ✓ B.AWS Glue DataBrew
- C.Amazon Athena
- ✓ D.AWS Lake Formation
- E.Amazon Kinesis
Why B: Options A and D are correct. AWS Lake Formation provides fine-grained access control for the Data Catalog. AWS Glue DataBrew provides data lineage visualization. Option B is wrong because Athena is a query service, not for access control or lineage. Option C is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls but does not manage permissions. Option E is wrong because Kinesis is for streaming.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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