The correct answer is that the IAMAllowedPrincipals group has been granted Super permission on the database. This occurs because, by default, Lake Formation includes the IAMAllowedPrincipals group, which gives full access to any IAM user or role, effectively bypassing all fine-grained Lake Formation permissions. When this group is present with Super or even Describe permissions on a database, any IAM principal can query tables in Athena regardless of their specific Lake Formation SELECT grants, as the group overrides the intended permission model. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of Lake Formation’s hybrid permission model and the common pitfall of leaving the default IAMAllowedPrincipals group active. A frequent trap is confusing IAM policies with Lake Formation permissions—remember that IAM allows access to the service, but Lake Formation controls the data. Memory tip: think of IAMAllowedPrincipals as a “master key” that unlocks everything in the database until you explicitly remove it.
DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data security and governance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 uses AWS Lake Formation to manage data lake permissions. A data engineer notices that a user can query tables in Athena even though the user does not have SELECT permission on the table in Lake Formation. What could be the cause?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The IAMAllowedPrincipals group has been granted Super permission on the database
By default, Lake Formation uses IAMAllowedPrincipals group which grants full access to IAM users and roles. If this group is present, Lake Formation permissions are bypassed. Option A is wrong because IAM policy granting Athena access is not sufficient without Lake Formation permissions. Option C is wrong because S3 permissions alone do not allow Athena queries. Option D is wrong because Lake Formation is a different service.
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 is using Redshift Spectrum
Why it's wrong here
Redshift Spectrum is a different query service.
✗
The user has S3 permissions to read the underlying data
Why it's wrong here
S3 permissions alone do not allow Athena to query tables; Lake Formation must grant table access.
✗
The user has an IAM policy that allows Athena access
Why it's wrong here
IAM allows Athena actions, but table-level permissions are controlled by Lake Formation.
✓
The IAMAllowedPrincipals group has been granted Super permission on the database
Why this is correct
The IAMAllowedPrincipals group bypasses Lake Formation permissions and allows IAM users to access tables directly.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 IAMAllowedPrincipals group has been granted Super permission on the database — By default, Lake Formation uses IAMAllowedPrincipals group which grants full access to IAM users and roles. If this group is present, Lake Formation permissions are bypassed. Option A is wrong because IAM policy granting Athena access is not sufficient without Lake Formation permissions. Option C is wrong because S3 permissions alone do not allow Athena queries. Option D is wrong because Lake Formation is a different service.
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.
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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