DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A data engineer runs this AWS CLI command to execute an Athena query. What is the purpose of the EncryptionConfiguration parameter?
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
✓
It encrypts the query results stored in Amazon S3 at rest
The EncryptionConfiguration parameter in Athena specifies how the query results stored in S3 are encrypted at rest. SSE_S3 means server-side encryption with S3-managed keys. It does not encrypt the query itself, data in transit, or the source data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It encrypts the query string in transit
Why it's wrong here
Athena's EncryptionConfiguration specifies SSE settings for the query results written to the S3 output location, not the query string. The query string travels over TLS to the Athena API endpoint regardless of this parameter. It would be relevant when you need to control how result objects are encrypted at rest.
- ✗
It encrypts the data in the source table
Why it's wrong here
EncryptionConfiguration governs the query results written to the S3 output bucket, not the source table's stored data. Source table encryption is configured on the underlying S3 objects or via table properties in the Glue Data Catalog. This parameter would apply when you must specify SSE-KMS or SSE-S3 for Athena output.
- ✗
It enables client-side encryption for the query output
Why it's wrong here
EncryptionConfiguration applies server-side encryption to Athena query results in S3, not client-side encryption. Client-side encryption requires the application to encrypt data before uploading, using its own keys. This parameter would be correct when you need to define SSE-KMS or SSE-S3 for the result set written to the output location.
- ✓
It encrypts the query results stored in Amazon S3 at rest
Why this is correct
EncryptionConfiguration specifies SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS settings applied to the query result files Athena writes into the S3 query-result location. This satisfies the parameter's purpose: protecting results at rest in Amazon S3, not encrypting data in transit or the source data being queried.
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 |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.