The answer is that the users are running an older version of Athena that does not support Lake Formation. Lake Formation integration with Athena requires Athena engine version 2 or later; earlier versions bypass Lake Formation’s permission model entirely, allowing users with direct S3 access to query data even if they only have SELECT permissions in Lake Formation. This question tests your understanding of how Lake Formation enforces fine-grained access controls through query engines, and it’s a common trap on the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam—many candidates assume Lake Formation works with all Athena versions by default. The key distinction is that Lake Formation acts as a centralized permissions layer, but it relies on the engine version to intercept and enforce those policies. If you see an “Athena older version Lake Formation not working” scenario, remember that engine version 2 or later is mandatory. Memory tip: “Version 2 or later, or Lake Formation won’t filter.”
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 company is using AWS Lake Formation to manage access to data in a data lake stored in Amazon S3. A data engineer notices that users with SELECT permissions on a table can still query the underlying S3 data directly using Athena. 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 users are using a version of Athena that does not support Lake Formation
Option C is correct because Lake Formation integrates with Athena by default when using the Athena engine version 2 or later. Option A is wrong because Lake Formation can be used with Athena. Option B is wrong because the issue is about direct S3 access, not encryption. Option D is wrong because Lake Formation can work with S3 bucket policies.
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 S3 bucket policy allows full access to all principals
Why it's wrong here
Lake Formation can override bucket policies.
✓
The users are using a version of Athena that does not support Lake Formation
Why this is correct
Older Athena versions do not enforce Lake Formation permissions.
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 S3 bucket does not have server-side encryption enabled
Why it's wrong here
Encryption is not related to the access issue.
✗
Lake Formation does not support integration with Athena
Why it's wrong here
Lake Formation does support integration with Athena.
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.
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 users are using a version of Athena that does not support Lake Formation — Option C is correct because Lake Formation integrates with Athena by default when using the Athena engine version 2 or later. Option A is wrong because Lake Formation can be used with Athena. Option B is wrong because the issue is about direct S3 access, not encryption. Option D is wrong because Lake Formation can work with S3 bucket policies.
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.
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