What is column-level security, and when would you apply it?

• A. Column-level security restricts access to sensitive columns in tables; apply for PII, compliance, or role-based data sharing where only certain roles can see sensitive fields.
• B. Column-level security restricts access to entire tables based on user.
• C. Column-level security manages encryption keys for columns.
• D. Column-level security controls only data retention.

Answer: (A)

Column-level security restricts access to individual columns within a table, allowing you to control who can view sensitive fields while still letting others access non-sensitive data. This is useful for PII, compliance obligations, or scenarios where different roles should see different pieces of information in the same dataset. If you restrict at the table level, you’d be blocking entire tables rather than specific columns. Encryption key management is about protecting data, not deciding which columns a user can see, and data retention policies govern how long data is kept, not visibility. Apply column-level security when you need granular control over who can view particular columns.