Question 1,656 of 1,663
DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company uses Amazon DynamoDB with fine-grained access control based on user identity. The IAM policy for a user includes a condition that restricts access to items where the 'department' attribute equals 'engineering'. However, the user is receiving an 'AccessDeniedException' when trying to query items. What is the most likely cause?
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 'department' attribute is not the partition key of the table.
Fine-grained access control in DynamoDB uses IAM policy conditions with the 'dynamodb:LeadingKeys' or 'dynamodb:Attributes' condition keys. The 'department' attribute must be the partition key of the table for 'LeadingKeys' to work. If 'department' is not the partition key, the condition cannot be evaluated for the query. Option A is possible but less likely if the user is using the correct role. Option C is wrong because DynamoDB does not require SSL for all operations. Option D is wrong because Condition check is exactly how it works.
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 not using the correct IAM role.
Why it's wrong here
If the policy is attached, the role is likely correct.
- ✓
The 'department' attribute is not the partition key of the table.
Why this is correct
Fine-grained access control using 'LeadingKeys' requires the condition on the partition key.
- ✗
The DynamoDB table is not configured to require SSL.
Why it's wrong here
SSL is not a requirement for access control.
- ✗
The IAM policy is missing a 'Condition' block.
Why it's wrong here
The policy already has a Condition block; the issue is the condition key mismatch.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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