Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate (DP-300) Practice Test 2025 - Free Azure Database Administrator Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer focuses on the role of row-level security in controlling access to data and the implications of updating rows within that context. The AFTER UPDATE block predicate is particularly relevant here as it acts after a row has been updated but before the change is committed, allowing the server to evaluate whether the new values being set meet the conditions defined by the row-level security policy.

Row-level security is designed to restrict data access at the row level based on the characteristics of the user querying the database. In scenarios where you want to impose certain conditions on rows that users can see or modify, the AFTER UPDATE block predicate serves as a safeguard to enforce these conditions. It enables a check for compliance with the predicate before any update is confirmed, thus preventing users from inadvertently or maliciously changing values in a way that would violate security policies.

In contrast, other predicates such as AFTER INSERT or AFTER DELETE do not provide the same level of protection specifically for updates to existing rows, as they deal with different operations regarding data manipulation. The BEFORE UPDATE option, while also concerning update operations, functions differently—it allows the manipulation to occur but can enforce checks before the row is updated, which may not be the most effective way to prevent violations post-update.

Therefore, the AFTER UPDATE block predicate