DP-300 Implement a secure environment Practice Question
You are the database administrator for a healthcare organization that uses Azure SQL Database. You need to implement column-level encryption for a column containing patient Social Security numbers (SSNs). The SSNs must be encrypted at rest and in transit, and only authorized client applications should be able to decrypt them. Which technology should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with column-level encryption, mistakenly thinking TDE protects data from all unauthorized access, when in fact TDE only encrypts data at rest and does not prevent authorized database users from reading sensitive columns in plaintext.
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
✓
Always Encrypted with column master key stored in Azure Key Vault.
Always Encrypted is the correct choice because it ensures that sensitive data, such as SSNs, is encrypted both at rest and in transit, and the encryption keys are stored client-side (e.g., in Azure Key Vault). This design ensures that only authorized client applications with access to the column master key can decrypt the data, preventing even database administrators or cloud operators from viewing the plaintext values.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Row-level security (RLS) to restrict access based on user role.
Why it's wrong here
RLS controls access to rows, not encryption of individual columns.
- ✗
Dynamic data masking (DDM) to mask SSNs for unauthorized users.
Why it's wrong here
DDM only obfuscates data in query results; it does not encrypt the underlying data.
- ✗
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with customer-managed keys.
Why it's wrong here
TDE encrypts data at rest but does not protect data in transit or control client-side decryption.
- ✓
Always Encrypted with column master key stored in Azure Key Vault.
Why this is correct
Always Encrypted encrypts column data at rest and in transit, and only clients with access to the column master key can decrypt.
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.
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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.