The correct answer is that the policy denies creation of StorageV2 accounts that use Microsoft-managed keys. This outcome occurs because the Azure Policy applies a 'Deny' effect to any storage account resource that does not have customer-managed keys enabled, meaning any attempt to provision or update a storage account with Microsoft-managed encryption is blocked at the Azure Resource Manager level. On the DP-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Azure Policy enforces organizational compliance through effects like Deny, and the common trap is confusing the Deny effect with the Audit effect—Deny actively prevents non-compliant creation, while Audit only logs it. A helpful memory tip is to think of "Deny = Door closed" for non-compliant resources, and remember that customer-managed keys are always your own key from Azure Key Vault, not Microsoft's default.
DP-900 Describe an analytics workload on Azure Practice Question
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe an analytics workload on azure. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. A data engineer wants to ensure that all Azure Storage accounts used for analytics use customer-managed keys. They apply this Azure Policy. What is the outcome?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy denies creation of StorageV2 accounts that use Microsoft-managed keys
The Azure Policy in the exhibit uses the 'Deny' effect on storage accounts that do not use customer-managed keys (i.e., that use Microsoft-managed keys). This means any attempt to create or update a storage account without customer-managed encryption will be blocked. Option D correctly identifies that the policy denies creation of StorageV2 accounts (or any storage account type covered by the policy scope) that use Microsoft-managed keys.
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.
✗
The policy audits existing storage accounts for compliance
Why it's wrong here
The effect is deny, not audit.
✗
The policy allows all storage accounts whether they use customer-managed keys or not
Why it's wrong here
The deny effect blocks non-compliant accounts.
✗
The policy only applies to storage accounts with hierarchical namespace enabled
Why it's wrong here
The policy does not filter on hierarchical namespace.
✓
The policy denies creation of StorageV2 accounts that use Microsoft-managed keys
Why this is correct
It denies when keySource is not Microsoft.Keyvault, meaning only accounts with customer-managed keys are allowed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the 'Deny' effect with 'Audit' or 'Append', and mistakenly think the policy only monitors or tags accounts instead of actively blocking non-compliant ones.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Policy 'Deny' effects are evaluated at resource creation or update time via Azure Resource Manager, preventing non-compliant deployments before they occur. Customer-managed keys (CMK) are configured via the 'encryption.keySource' property set to 'Microsoft.Keyvault', and the policy checks this property to enforce compliance. In a real-world scenario, this policy ensures that all analytics storage accounts meet security compliance requirements, such as those for GDPR or HIPAA, by preventing accidental use of Microsoft-managed keys.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-900 question in full detail.
Describe an analytics workload on Azure — This question tests Describe an analytics workload on Azure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The policy denies creation of StorageV2 accounts that use Microsoft-managed keys — The Azure Policy in the exhibit uses the 'Deny' effect on storage accounts that do not use customer-managed keys (i.e., that use Microsoft-managed keys). This means any attempt to create or update a storage account without customer-managed encryption will be blocked. Option D correctly identifies that the policy denies creation of StorageV2 accounts (or any storage account type covered by the policy scope) that use Microsoft-managed keys.
What should I do if I get this DP-900 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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