- A
Integrity
Why wrong: Integrity ensures data has not been altered or tampered with. While encryption can also help protect integrity, its primary purpose in this scenario is to prevent unauthorized reading, not to detect changes.
- B
Confidentiality
Confidentiality ensures that data is accessible only to authorized users. Encryption at rest (TDE) and in transit (TLS) protect the data from being read by unauthorized parties, directly addressing confidentiality.
- C
Availability
Why wrong: Availability ensures that systems and data are accessible when needed. Encryption does not inherently improve uptime or accessibility; it protects data regardless of availability.
- D
Non-repudiation
Why wrong: Non-repudiation prevents an entity from denying having performed an action. This is typically achieved through digital signatures and logs, not encryption alone.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is confidentiality, as both Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) and TLS directly protect patient records from unauthorized access. TDE encrypts data at rest in the Azure SQL database, rendering it unreadable if physical storage is stolen, while TLS encrypts data in transit between clients and the database, preventing eavesdropping or interception. On the Microsoft SC-900 exam, this scenario tests your ability to map specific security controls to the CIA triad—a common trap is confusing encryption with integrity (which ensures data hasn’t been altered) or availability (which ensures data is accessible when needed). Remember that encryption, whether at rest or in transit, always serves confidentiality first. For a quick memory tip: think “Encryption = Encode for Confidentiality,” and note that TDE and TLS are both encryption tools, so the goal is keeping secrets secret.
SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity. 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.
A healthcare company stores patient records in an Azure SQL database. To protect the data, they enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for the database and require all client connections to use TLS. Which security goal is being primarily addressed by these measures?
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
Confidentiality
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) encrypts data at rest in the Azure SQL database, ensuring that even if the physical storage media is compromised, the data remains unreadable. Requiring TLS for client connections encrypts data in transit, preventing eavesdropping or interception. Both measures directly protect the confidentiality of patient records by preventing unauthorized access to the data.
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.
- ✗
Integrity
Why it's wrong here
Integrity ensures data has not been altered or tampered with. While encryption can also help protect integrity, its primary purpose in this scenario is to prevent unauthorized reading, not to detect changes.
- ✓
Confidentiality
Why this is correct
Confidentiality ensures that data is accessible only to authorized users. Encryption at rest (TDE) and in transit (TLS) protect the data from being read by unauthorized parties, directly addressing confidentiality.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Availability
Why it's wrong here
Availability ensures that systems and data are accessible when needed. Encryption does not inherently improve uptime or accessibility; it protects data regardless of availability.
- ✗
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation prevents an entity from denying having performed an action. This is typically achieved through digital signatures and logs, not encryption alone.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse encryption (which protects confidentiality) with integrity or non-repudiation, especially when TLS is involved, but TLS primarily provides confidentiality and only secondary integrity via MACs, not the primary goal in this context.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Integrity ensures data has not been altered or tampered with. While encryption can also help protect integrity, its primary purpose in this scenario is to prevent unauthorized reading, not to detect changes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
TDE uses an AES-256 encryption key (the Database Encryption Key) stored in the database boot record, which is protected by the server's certificate or an Azure Key Vault key. TLS 1.2 or higher is enforced at the connection level using the 'Encrypt=True' and 'TrustServerCertificate=False' connection string parameters, which also validates the server certificate to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. In a real-world scenario, even if an attacker gains physical access to the database files, TDE ensures the data remains encrypted and unreadable without the key.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-900 question test?
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — This question tests Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Confidentiality — Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) encrypts data at rest in the Azure SQL database, ensuring that even if the physical storage media is compromised, the data remains unreadable. Requiring TLS for client connections encrypts data in transit, preventing eavesdropping or interception. Both measures directly protect the confidentiality of patient records by preventing unauthorized access to the data.
What should I do if I get this SC-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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SC-900 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 SC-900 exam.
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