HashiCorp Terraform Associate 003 Exam Prep
HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (Page 10 )

• State is stored remotely in Terraform Cloud/Enterprise, not as a local file.
• Terraform runs (plan/apply) can be executed on remote infrastructure, with results visible in the remote workspace UI.
• Supports workspace-based organization, state locking, and concurrency control.
• Useful for team collaboration, centralized governance, and auditable logs.

• In your configuration, you use a backend block like backend "remote" { ... }.
• You still run terraform init to configure/migrate to the remote backend.
• After setup, terraform plan/terraform apply may be executed remotely, and the outputs/logs appear in the Terraform Cloud/Enterprise UI rather than (only) in your local terminal.

• Other backends store state remotely but typically do not provide remote execution; with the remote backend you get remote runs and a collaborative UI, not just remote state storage.

• Answer: B (False)

• Explanation: The terraform.tfstate file is a snapshot Terraform uses to map your configuration to real resources. It does not always stay perfectly in sync with the live infrastructure. Drift can occur if resources are changed outside Terraform or manipulated directly. You can reconcile this with commands like terraform plan (to see what would change) and terraform refresh (to update the state). The state stored in a backend reflects the last known state, not a guaranteed real-time reflection of reality. See Terraform state documentation for details.

• Answer: False

• Why: The terraform.tfstate file is a snapshot of the resources as Terraform last applied or refreshed them. If someone or something changes infrastructure outside Terraform (drift), the state file may no longer match the real world until you refresh or re-apply. Terraform normally refreshes state during plan/apply, but it is not guaranteed to always be perfectly in sync without a refresh.

• A script of cloud CLI commands: IaC because the commands can be saved, reviewed, versioned, and rerun consistently.
• Manually run curl commands: Not necessarily IaC; they are manual actions unless organized into an automated script.
• A sequence of REST requests passed to an API: Could represent automation, but the wording does not explicitly say they are stored and executed as reusable code.
• Commands entered into a cloud console: Manual operation, not IaC.

• Static IP address: Not needed if the workstation already has network connectivity.
• Subnet mask: Incorrect subnetting would usually prevent local communication, including pinging the server.
• Default gateway: Primarily affects communication outside the local network; it does not normally prevent finding an internal domain controller.

• A — VARIANT "null" values are not the same as SQL NULL values: True

• B — Frequent, single-row DMLs: False

• C — Validate data before loading into the target table: True

• D — Use staging tables to manage MERGE statements: True

• C — Before update
• D — Before insert

apex 
trigger AccountTrigger on Account (before insert, before update) { 
    for (Account acct : Trigger.new) { 
        acct.Description = 'Updated automatically'; 
    } 
}

• In after insert and after update, Trigger.new records are read-only.
• Use after triggers when you need the record’s final database Id or want to create/update related records.
• Attempting to change a field directly in an after trigger causes a read-only error.

• File is shared externally ? Access level

• File is labeled “Internal only” ? Sensitivity label

• Documented and formally requested
• Analyzed for security, cost, and operational impact
• Reviewed and approved by the appropriate personnel
• Tested before implementation
• Tracked and reversible if problems occur

• Risk management process: Identifies and evaluates risk, but does not directly authorize design changes.
• Product design process: Applies primarily while creating or developing the product.
• Design review process: May have identified the issues, but the next step for changing an already released design is controlled change management.

• Amazon EC2 instances — ???????? ?? ?? ??????? CPU, memory ??? instance size ???????? ???????
• AWS Lambda functions — memory configuration ?????????? ???????
• Amazon EBS volumes — volume type ?? size optimize ???? ???????
• ??????? ECS workloads — resource configuration ? cost optimization-?? ???????

• Memory ? compute usage ?????????? ???? custom code ????? ???? development ? maintenance ??????
• Cost allocation tags ???? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ??????? ???; inefficient resource ??????? ?? recommendation ???? ???
• CloudTrail resource ???? ?? API activity ??????, resource utilization ????

• Unfamiliar locations or IP addresses
• Anonymous or malicious IP addresses
• Leaked credentials
• Unusual sign-in behavior

• Identifies which user or department owns the device
• Supports inventory and compliance requirements
• Enables tracking of lost, stolen, retired, or unauthorized devices
• Helps enforce security controls such as mobile-device management and secure configuration

• Warehouse size: Larger warehouses use more credits per unit of time than smaller ones.
• Number of clusters: A multi-cluster warehouse can run multiple clusters, and each active cluster consumes credits. Therefore, increasing the maximum or active cluster count can increase consumption.

• Number of users: More users may cause more workload, but users themselves do not consume credits.
• Amount of data processed: Snowflake warehouses are not charged directly by the amount of data scanned. However, processing more data may cause the warehouse to run longer, indirectly increasing credits.

• An active relationship is used automatically when filters are evaluated. An inactive relationship does not propagate filters unless explicitly activated in DAX, so it would not reliably enforce the required security behavior.
• Apply security filter in both directions allows RLS filters to propagate across the relationship in both directions. This ensures that bidirectional filtering respects the RLS rules applied to both tables.
• Assume referential integrity is unrelated to RLS. It is mainly a DirectQuery optimization that allows Power BI to use an inner join when matching keys are guaranteed to exist.
• The relationship must therefore be active, with security filtering enabled in both directions.

• Custom domain: miami.weyland.com requires a paid App Service tier; Free and Shared are unsuitable.
• Two instances: Standard supports scaling to multiple instances.
• SSL: Standard includes SSL support.
• 12 GB storage: Basic provides only about 10 GB, so it does not meet the requirement. Standard provides substantially more storage.
• Cost minimization: Standard is the lowest tier among the choices that satisfies all requirements.

• CHAP: Uses a challenge-response exchange, so the password is not directly transmitted.
• IPsec: Provides authentication, integrity, and encryption for IP communications.
• EAP: An authentication framework that supports stronger methods, such as certificates or token-based authentication.

• Information sources: Collect security-related data, such as network packets, system logs, audit records, or application events.
• Analysis: Examines the collected data to identify suspicious activity, attacks, or policy violations.
• Response: Takes or recommends action, such as generating alerts, logging the event, or supporting a protective response.

• A — If there is no demand, there should be no production.

• B — Not all sales equal profit.

• C — Stocking up on inventory is bad for business.

• D — All costs, except materials, are considered fixed.

• E — Departments should operate at full capacity regardless of bottlenecks.

• CPU: Number of virtual CPUs and, where applicable, CPU reservations.
• Memory: Amount of memory and memory reservations.

• Network interface: Usually configured through the VM or workload networking configuration.
• PCI devices: Specialized hardware and not a standard VM Class resource in this context.
• Storage: Typically selected through storage policies or the VM’s storage configuration.

1. Yes — One account can manage multiple subscriptions

1. No — You cannot merge two subscriptions into one

1. Yes — A resource belongs to only one subscription

• A: Not expanding would increase its dependence.
• B: More business from the same corporation would make dependence worse.
• D: Passing work to other minority businesses does not solve its own dependence.
• E: The passage does not suggest that it can force or influence the corporation to give work to others.

apex 
for (Account updatedAccount : Trigger.new) { 
    AccountTriggerHelper.notinyxternalSystem(updatedAccount.Id); 
}

• Too many callouts: The callout occurs asynchronously in the future method, and each future transaction can perform its permitted callouts.
• Too many SOQL queries: The SOQL query is inside the future execution, not repeatedly in the trigger transaction.
• Callout from triggers not supported: Direct callouts from triggers are prohibited, but the trigger delegates the callout to asynchronous Apex, which is the correct pattern.

• Sales revenue is affected because internal sales are recorded at the transfer price.
• Operating profit is affected because revenue changes while costs may remain unchanged.
• Return on investment (ROI) is affected because ROI depends on operating profit and the division’s investment.
• Cost of components purchased is not affected by the transfer price. These are costs incurred when buying components from external suppliers, not the internal price charged for the division’s output.

• Additional running costs: $800
• Less depreciation: $300

• The $100 reduction in fixed production overhead absorbed is only an accounting reallocation. It does not represent an actual saving in total fixed overhead.

• Use the grant-date fair value: $30
• Do not remeasure to the year-end value of $45
• Update the estimate of employees expected to vest

• Dr Share-based payment expense $450,000
• Cr Equity/share option reserve $450,000

• Espionage: Stealing confidential information, often for a competitor or government.
• Data exfiltration: Unauthorized transfer of data outside the organization. This could occur, but the question focuses on using unapproved access methods.
• Nation-state attack: An attack sponsored or conducted by a government.
• Shadow IT: Employees using technology or access methods outside the organization’s approved security controls.

• SAS (Serial Attached SCSI):

• SSD (solid-state drive):

• Security controls
• Processes and procedures
• Compliance evidence
• Performance against contractual requirements

• Service-level agreement (SLA): Defines expected service performance, such as uptime and response times.
• Memorandum of agreement (MOA): Documents a general agreement between parties, but does not necessarily provide audit rights.
• Supply chain analysis: Identifies risks across suppliers and dependencies, but is not a contractual mechanism for reviewing vendor controls.

• GPS coordinates
• Date and time the image was taken
• Camera or device model
• Exposure settings

• Log data: Records events or activities, such as system or application activity.
• Encrypted data: Information intentionally encoded to prevent unauthorized access.
• Sensitive data: A broad classification for information requiring protection; geolocation may be sensitive, but the technical type stored in the image is metadata.

• Storage usage of files stored in Microsoft Teams: SharePoint site usage report

• Number of active users per team: Microsoft Teams usage report

1. SharePoint site usage report
2. Microsoft Teams usage report

• Namespace: The namespace associated with the code where the checkpoint was set.
• Time: When the checkpoint was captured or executed.

• Exception: Exceptions are viewed through debug logs or execution results, not as the primary Checkpoints tab information.
• Debug Statement: System.debug() output belongs in the Logs tab. A checkpoint captures program state, such as variables and their values, at a specific point in execution.

• A — Improved management of storage space: Correct.

• B — Improved supplier relationships: Correct.

• C — Improved pricing decisions: Correct.

• D — Non-product-specific costs must be apportioned: Incorrect.

• E — Profitability of each customer group: Incorrect.

• Type 1 hypervisor: Runs directly on the physical hardware (“bare metal”).
• Type 2 hypervisor: Runs inside the host OS as an application.

• Bare-metal installation: Type 1
• Local management only: Not a defining characteristic
• Specific hardware requirements: Not the key distinction

• Enforce organizational rules, such as allowed regions or required tags
• Audit resources for compliance
• Deny noncompliant deployments
• Aggregate compliance results across subscriptions

• VLAN 10 for data
• VLAN 20 for voice

• A: Describes physical trunking or logical switch ports, not an SVI.
• B: An SVI can provide management access, but that is only one use—not the best description here.
• D: SVI use is not related to running out of physical ports.

1. Create Workspace2 with Lakehouse2 — F
2. Migrate the Employee table to Lakehouse2 — E
3. Assign the data engineer the Contributor role for Workspace1 — D

Why

• Sharing Lakehouse1 would not provide the required isolation.
• Viewer access would not allow writing to Customer.
• Giving Contributor access to Workspace2 would expose the sensitive table.

• Admin access to the deployment pipeline
• Contributor access to the Development and Test workspaces
• Viewer access to the Production workspace

• Layer 1: Check cables, power, and link lights.
• Layer 2: Check switching, VLANs, and MAC learning.
• Layer 3: Check IP addressing, routing, and gateways.
• Higher layers: Check services, applications, and user settings.

• Create a plan of action: Decide how to implement the fix.
• Implement the solution: Apply the selected fix.
• Verify functionality: Confirm the problem is resolved and systems work normally.

• Streams — track change data for tables or views.
• External tables — reference data stored in an external cloud storage location.

• Role — account-level security object.
• Warehouse — account-level compute resource.
• User — account-level security object.
• Share — account-level object used to share data.

• Distinct values = 69

• Unique values = 4

• Atomicity: a write fully succeeds or does not appear.
• Consistency: table state remains valid.
• Isolation: concurrent operations do not corrupt one another.
• Durability: committed changes persist.

• Flexible schemas: common data lakes often support flexible or schema-on-read data.
• Open-source formats: common data lakes commonly use open formats such as Parquet.
• Scalable storage: cloud data lakes already provide scalable storage.

1. Append Table1 and Table2 as a new query

1. Select the product column in the appended query.

1. Choose Remove Rows > Remove Duplicates

Why this is correct

• Each user authenticates with their own Google account.
• Google manages the user’s SSH key association.
• IAM controls who can access instances.
• Access can be audited by user identity, so security can determine who accessed a VM.
• Granting the role to a Google group avoids managing permissions individually.

Why the others don’t apply

• A: A shared private key is difficult to distribute securely and cannot reliably identify which employee used it.
• B: Manually collecting and deploying keys on every instance is operationally inefficient and complicates auditing.
• D: A project-wide shared key has the same identity and key-management problems as option A. It also does not provide per-user accountability.

text 
user<TAB>action<TAB>status

text 
user|action|status

• Colons: Although colons commonly appear in log data, they are not a supported delimiter choice in the FX workflow described by this exam question.
• Spaces: Spaces are not treated as a supported delimiter for this extraction method; ordinary text often contains variable spacing.

• Microsoft Foundry is an enterprise platform for developers, data scientists, and IT teams.
• It supports the full AI application lifecycle: selecting models, connecting enterprise data, developing, evaluating, deploying, monitoring, and scaling solutions.
• It can include visual tools and low-code experiences, but it is not primarily designed to enable business users to build complete generative AI solutions independently.

• B: You still need to select and configure an appropriate model.
• C: Business users may participate through visual tools, but they are not the primary target audience.
• D: Foundry includes low-code tools, but it is not fundamentally a low-code-only platform.

• Actions that call external APIs
• Subflows
• Connection and credential aliases
• Supporting integration logic

• Action — A reusable operation within a flow, such as “Create a record” or “Send email.”
• Connection — Defines how ServiceNow authenticates and communicates with an external system.
• Integration step — A general flow step, not the name for the packaged integration.

• Domínios personalizados.
• Armazenamento suficiente.
• Instâncias dedicadas.
• Balanceamento de carga.
• Menor custo entre os planos que atendem a tudo.

• Case Assignment Rules normalmente são avaliadas quando o caso é criado. Elas podem ser executadas novamente em uma edição somente se o usuário marcar “Assign using active assignment rules”; isso não acontece automaticamente apenas porque o caso foi fechado.
• Portanto, criar uma regra de atribuição não corrige os centenas de casos já fechados e não garante, por si só, que um caso será transferido antes de ser fechado.

• B — Usar uma ferramenta de dados: corrige os registros históricos já existentes, atualizando o Owner.
• D — Criar uma regra de validação: impede que um caso seja fechado enquanto ainda pertence a uma fila. Exemplo conceitual: se Status = Closed e o proprietário for uma fila, bloquear o salvamento.

• Who owns security risks and decisions
• Who is responsible for implementing controls
• Who reports security performance to management
• How security responsibilities align with business objectives

• B — Compliance with audit requirements: Governance may support compliance, but audit compliance is not its main objective.
• C — Monitoring security incidents: This is an operational security activity, not the central purpose of governance.
• D — Creation of tactical solutions: Governance establishes direction and oversight; tactical solutions belong to management and operational teams.