DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You need to deploy an Azure SQL Database that complies with a regulatory requirement to encrypt data at rest using a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault. The database will be used by a line-of-business application. Which feature should you enable?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse Always Encrypted (which encrypts data at rest and in transit but at the column level with client-side keys) with TDE (which encrypts the entire database at rest with server-managed or customer-managed keys), leading them to select Always Encrypted when the requirement is for full database-at-rest encryption with a customer-managed key.
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
✓
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with customer-managed key
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with a customer-managed key (CMK) in Azure Key Vault encrypts the database at rest, meeting the regulatory requirement for customer-controlled encryption keys. TDE performs real-time I/O encryption and decryption of data files, logs, and backups, and when configured with a CMK (also known as Bring Your Own Key or BYOK), the encryption key is stored and managed in Azure Key Vault, giving the customer full control over key rotation and revocation.
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 customer-managed key
Why this is correct
TDE encrypts data at rest and supports customer-managed keys.
- ✗
Azure Defender for SQL
Why it's wrong here
Azure Defender provides security monitoring, not encryption.
- ✗
Dynamic Data Masking
Why it's wrong here
Dynamic Data Masking obfuscates data but does not encrypt it.
- ✗
Always Encrypted
Why it's wrong here
Always Encrypted encrypts data in use, not at rest.
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.