DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
Your company is deploying a new Azure SQL Database that will store Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The security team requires that all queries against the database are audited and that any access to sensitive columns is logged with the actual data values. Which combination of features should you enable?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse Dynamic Data Masking (which only hides data at query time) with auditing that captures actual values, or they assume Azure SQL Database Auditing alone logs data values, when in fact it only logs metadata about the query, not the sensitive data itself.
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 SQL Server Audit on the database and create a database audit specification that captures SELECT and UPDATE on the sensitive columns.
SQL Server Audit (available in Azure SQL Database) allows you to create a database audit specification that captures SELECT and UPDATE operations on specific columns, including the actual data values accessed. This meets the security requirement to log access to sensitive columns with the actual data, whereas other options either lack column-level detail or do not capture the data 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.
- ✗
Enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) and configure a server-level audit specification for schema changes.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: TDE encrypts data at rest but does not provide auditing of data access.
- ✗
Enable Dynamic Data Masking on the sensitive columns and use Azure SQL Database Auditing.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Dynamic Data Masking hides data from users but does not log access; auditing logs queries but not values.
- ✓
Enable SQL Server Audit on the database and create a database audit specification that captures SELECT and UPDATE on the sensitive columns.
Why this is correct
Correct: SQL Server Audit can capture actual data values when auditing data modification operations.
- ✗
Enable Azure SQL Database Auditing and configure the diagnostic settings to send logs to a Log Analytics workspace.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Auditing logs queries but does not capture the actual data values accessed unless configured with data modification events.
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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