DP-300 Implement a secure environment Practice Question
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of implement a secure environment. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You are designing a security strategy for Azure SQL Managed Instance. The compliance team requires that all database backups be encrypted at rest using a customer-managed key. Which feature should you enable?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault.
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault is the correct feature because it encrypts the database at rest, including all backup files, using a key that the customer controls. This satisfies the compliance requirement for customer-managed key encryption of backups, as TDE automatically encrypts backups when the database is encrypted.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault.
Why this is correct
TDE encrypts the underlying database files and backups at rest.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Always Encrypted with a column master key in Azure Key Vault.
Why it's wrong here
Always Encrypted protects sensitive columns, not entire backups.
✗
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with a service-managed key.
Why it's wrong here
Service-managed key does not satisfy customer-managed key requirement.
✗
Row-Level Security (RLS) with a custom authorization function.
Why it's wrong here
RLS is for access control, not encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Always Encrypted (which encrypts column data but not backups) with TDE (which encrypts the entire database and backups), leading them to select Always Encrypted when the requirement explicitly mentions backup encryption.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When TDE is enabled with a customer-managed key (CMK) in Azure Key Vault, the database encryption key (DEK) is protected by the CMK, and all backups—including full, differential, and log backups—are encrypted with the same DEK. This ensures that even if backup files are exfiltrated, they cannot be restored without access to the CMK in Key Vault, providing a defense-in-depth layer for compliance scenarios like HIPAA or GDPR.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-300 question in full detail.
Implement a secure environment — This question tests Implement a secure environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault. — Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault is the correct feature because it encrypts the database at rest, including all backup files, using a key that the customer controls. This satisfies the compliance requirement for customer-managed key encryption of backups, as TDE automatically encrypts backups when the database is encrypted.
What should I do if I get this DP-300 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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