- A
Create a customer managed key (CMK) in KMS with automatic rotation enabled every 365 days. Use this CMK to encrypt S3 objects.
Why wrong: CMKs with automatic rotation work but have more overhead (cost, key policy management) than AWS managed keys.
- B
Create a customer managed key with imported key material and configure a Lambda function to rotate the key every 365 days.
Why wrong: Imported key material does not support automatic rotation; manual or custom rotation is required.
- C
Use the AWS managed key for Amazon S3 (aws/s3) for server-side encryption.
AWS managed keys are automatically rotated every year with no operational overhead.
- D
Use S3 server-side encryption with S3 managed keys (SSE-S3).
Why wrong: SSE-S3 also rotates keys automatically but the question expects KMS; SSE-S3 is less configurable but still rotates, but AWS managed key is the intended answer for KMS scenario.
DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data security and governance. 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 financial services company uses AWS KMS to encrypt data in Amazon S3. The compliance team requires that all encryption keys be rotated automatically every 365 days. The data engineer needs to implement this requirement without manual intervention. Which solution meets the requirement with the LEAST operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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
Use the AWS managed key for Amazon S3 (aws/s3) for server-side encryption.
Option C is correct because the AWS managed key for Amazon S3 (aws/s3) is automatically rotated by AWS every 365 days (or less) with no configuration or maintenance required. This satisfies the compliance requirement with zero operational overhead, as the rotation is handled entirely by the AWS KMS service without any manual intervention or custom automation.
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.
- ✗
Create a customer managed key (CMK) in KMS with automatic rotation enabled every 365 days. Use this CMK to encrypt S3 objects.
Why it's wrong here
CMKs with automatic rotation work but have more overhead (cost, key policy management) than AWS managed keys.
- ✗
Create a customer managed key with imported key material and configure a Lambda function to rotate the key every 365 days.
Why it's wrong here
Imported key material does not support automatic rotation; manual or custom rotation is required.
- ✓
Use the AWS managed key for Amazon S3 (aws/s3) for server-side encryption.
Why this is correct
AWS managed keys are automatically rotated every year with no operational overhead.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use S3 server-side encryption with S3 managed keys (SSE-S3).
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 also rotates keys automatically but the question expects KMS; SSE-S3 is less configurable but still rotates, but AWS managed key is the intended answer for KMS scenario.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume customer managed keys (CMK) with automatic rotation are the only way to meet a specific rotation interval, overlooking that AWS managed keys already rotate on a 365-day schedule and require zero configuration, making them the least overhead solution.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
SSE-S3 also rotates keys automatically but the question expects KMS; SSE-S3 is less configurable but still rotates, but AWS managed key is the intended answer for KMS scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS managed keys (e.g., aws/s3) are rotated automatically every 365 days (or sooner) by AWS, and the rotation is transparent to the user—old key material remains available for decryption of previously encrypted data. In contrast, customer managed keys with automatic rotation rotate annually but require the key to be created without imported material, and the rotation schedule is fixed at 365 days (cannot be customized). SSE-S3 uses envelope encryption with a unique key per object, but the master key rotation is not guaranteed to occur at a fixed 365-day interval, making it unsuitable for strict compliance requirements.
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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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 — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Data Security and Governance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DEA-C01 questions
1,786 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DEA-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DEA-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Data Ingestion and Transformation practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Ingestion and Transformation.
Data Operations and Support practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Operations and Support.
Data Security and Governance practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Security and Governance.
Data Store Management practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Store Management.
DEA-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 fundamentals.
DEA-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 scenario.
DEA-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DEA-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Use the AWS managed key for Amazon S3 (aws/s3) for server-side encryption. — Option C is correct because the AWS managed key for Amazon S3 (aws/s3) is automatically rotated by AWS every 365 days (or less) with no configuration or maintenance required. This satisfies the compliance requirement with zero operational overhead, as the rotation is handled entirely by the AWS KMS service without any manual intervention or custom automation.
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: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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 →
Keep practising
More DEA-C01 practice questions
- A data pipeline uses Kinesis Data Firehose to deliver streaming data to an S3 bucket. The data volume spikes occasionall…
- An e-commerce company uses AWS Glue to run ETL jobs that transform clickstream data from Amazon S3. The job reads Parque…
- A data engineering team uses Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics for Apache Flink to process streaming data. They notice that…
- A company uses AWS Glue to process streaming data from Amazon Kinesis Data Streams. The job reads JSON records and write…
- A data engineer applies the above bucket policy to an S3 bucket containing sensitive data. The goal is to allow only enc…
- A company uses AWS Glue to catalog data in Amazon S3. The security team requires that all sensitive data be identified a…
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.