DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
Which TWO actions are required to implement transparent data encryption (TDE) with customer-managed keys for an Azure SQL Database?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse TDE with Always Encrypted or on-premises certificate-based TDE, leading them to select options about column encryption keys or server certificates, which are not part of Azure SQL Database TDE implementation.
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
✓
Create an Azure Key Vault and a key.
TDE with customer-managed keys requires an Azure Key Vault to store the key, which provides centralized key management and control. The key in the vault is used to protect the database encryption key (DEK), ensuring that the customer retains ownership and control over the encryption material.
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 an Azure Key Vault and a key.
Why this is correct
Required for customer-managed TDE.
- ✓
Assign the key to the Azure SQL logical server and enable TDE.
Why this is correct
Required to use customer-managed key.
- ✗
Set the backup encryption level to 'Encrypted'.
Why it's wrong here
Optional for backups, not required for TDE.
- ✗
Create a server certificate in the database.
Why it's wrong here
Not required; TDE uses the key vault key.
- ✗
Configure column encryption keys in the database.
Why it's wrong here
Part of Always Encrypted, not TDE.
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.