DP-300 Implement a secure environment Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are best practices for managing keys in Azure Key Vault for use with Azure SQL Database TDE?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often think placing the Key Vault in the same resource group simplifies management, but Microsoft explicitly recommends a separate resource group to avoid accidental deletion of the vault when the SQL server is deprovisioned.
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
✓
Enable soft-delete and purge protection on the Key Vault.
Enabling soft-delete and purge protection on the Key Vault is a best practice because soft-delete retains deleted keys for a configurable retention period (default 90 days), allowing recovery if a key is accidentally deleted. Purge protection prevents permanent deletion of keys even after the soft-delete retention period expires, which is critical for TDE because if the key is permanently lost, the encrypted database becomes inaccessible. Together, these features ensure that the TDE protector key is never irrevocably lost, maintaining database recoverability and compliance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable soft-delete and purge protection on the Key Vault.
Why this is correct
Prevents accidental key loss.
- ✓
Rotate the keys periodically.
Why this is correct
Regular rotation reduces risk.
- ✓
Grant the server managed identity 'get', 'wrapKey', and 'unwrapKey' permissions.
Why this is correct
These permissions are necessary for TDE.
- ✗
Store the Key Vault in the same resource group as the SQL server.
Why it's wrong here
Best practice is to use a separate resource group.
- ✗
Disable Key Vault auditing to reduce costs.
Why it's wrong here
Auditing is important for security monitoring.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Overview of Azure Data Platform Options
Key term
Transparent Data Encryption
Transparent Data Encryption is a security feature that automatically encrypts data written to a database and decrypts it when read, without requiring any changes to the application.
Key term
Azure SQL Performance Tuning
Azure SQL Performance Tuning is the process of optimizing the speed and efficiency of queries and database operations in Microsoft Azure SQL Database or SQL Managed Instance to reduce latency and improve throughput.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DP-300 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 DP-300 exam.