DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You are a database administrator for a healthcare organization. You need to deploy a new Azure SQL Database that stores protected health information (PHI). The database must be encrypted at rest using a customer-managed key in Azure Key Vault. Additionally, you need to ensure that backups are also encrypted with the same key. Which configuration should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Always Encrypted (which encrypts data at the column level and requires application changes) with TDE (which encrypts the entire database at rest transparently), or they mistakenly think that service-managed keys satisfy a customer-managed key requirement.
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 Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) using a customer-managed key from Azure Key Vault
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with a customer-managed key from Azure Key Vault is the correct choice because it encrypts the database at rest, including data files and log files, using a key that you control and manage in Azure Key Vault. This meets the requirement for encrypting protected health information (PHI) at rest with a customer-managed key, and TDE automatically ensures that backups are encrypted with the same database encryption key (DEK), which is protected by the customer-managed key.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use column-level encryption with a certificate
Why it's wrong here
Column-level encryption protects individual columns, not the database at rest, and does not encrypt backups with a Key Vault key. It suits granular column protection, whereas the stem requires TDE with a customer-managed key covering backups.
- ✓
Enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) using a customer-managed key from Azure Key Vault
Why this is correct
Transparent Data Encryption with a customer-managed key in Azure Key Vault encrypts the database, its backups, and transaction logs at rest using the same asymmetric key. This directly satisfies the requirement that backups remain encrypted under the identical customer-managed key, unlike service-managed keys or Always Encrypted, which protects only specific columns.
- ✗
Enable Transparent Data Encryption with a service-managed key
Why it's wrong here
A service-managed key is generated and held by Microsoft, so it cannot satisfy the requirement for a customer-managed key in Azure Key Vault, nor does it give you control over backup encryption. Service-managed TDE suits organisations with no external key-governance mandate.
- ✗
Enable Always Encrypted with keys stored in Azure Key Vault
Why it's wrong here
Always Encrypted protects individual column data in transit, at rest and in memory from database administrators, but it does not encrypt the database files or backups. It fits scenarios requiring separation of duties between key owners and DBAs, not the at-rest and backup encryption this stem demands.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Overview of Azure Data Platform Options
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.
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.
About these practice questions
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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.