DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You are configuring an Azure SQL Database to meet a compliance requirement that mandates encryption of data at rest with customer-managed keys and the ability to audit all access to the database. You need to implement the necessary features. Which two actions should you perform? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Always Encrypted with TDE for encryption at rest; Always Encrypted only protects specific columns and does not encrypt the entire database.
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) with a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault.
To meet encryption at rest with customer-managed keys, enable TDE with a customer-managed key in Azure Key Vault. To audit all access, configure SQL auditing to a storage account or Log Analytics. Advanced Threat Protection is for threat detection, dynamic data masking is for masking, and Always Encrypted is for column-level encryption, not full database encryption at rest.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Implement dynamic data masking on all sensitive columns.
Why it's wrong here
Dynamic data masking limits sensitive data exposure by masking it to non-privileged users, but it does not encrypt data at rest and does not provide auditing. It is used to prevent unauthorized viewing of sensitive data in query results, not to meet encryption or auditing compliance requirements.
- ✗
Configure Always Encrypted with column master keys in Azure Key Vault.
Why it's wrong here
Always Encrypted protects data in use and in motion for specific columns, but it does not encrypt the entire database at rest. It also requires application changes and does not provide auditing. While it uses customer-managed keys, it does not satisfy the encryption at rest requirement for the whole database.
- ✓
Enable transparent data encryption (TDE) with a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault.
Why this is correct
TDE with a customer-managed key in Azure Key Vault satisfies the encryption at rest requirement. It allows you to control the encryption key and meet compliance mandates. This is a direct action to encrypt the database at rest using your own key, which is essential for the scenario.
- ✗
Enable Advanced Threat Protection on the Azure SQL Database.
Why it's wrong here
Advanced Threat Protection detects anomalous activities and potential threats, but it does not provide a full audit trail of all access. It is a security feature, not an auditing feature. While it can complement auditing, it does not fulfill the requirement to audit all access to the database.
- ✓
Configure SQL auditing to write audit logs to an Azure Storage account or Log Analytics workspace.
Why this is correct
SQL auditing tracks database events and writes them to an audit log in Azure Storage, Log Analytics, or Event Hubs. This provides the required audit trail for all access to the database. It is a necessary action to meet the compliance requirement for auditing database access.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Implementing Auditing and Threat Detection
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 and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.