What permission should a consultant enable on a Permission Set to ensure accessibility of a personal identification number stored in an encrypted field?

The correct answer is to enable the "View Encrypted Data" system permission on a Permission Set to ensure users can access personal identification numbers stored in an encrypted field. This permission specifically grants users the ability to view fields that have been encrypted, which is crucial for maintaining the confidentiality and security of sensitive information while also allowing the necessary access for legitimate business purposes.

In the context of Salesforce and encrypted fields, simply having access to the object or data does not inherently grant the ability to view encrypted values. The encryption process involves transforming data into a secure format, making it unreadable without appropriate permissions. Therefore, without the "View Encrypted Data" permission, even users who can normally access the object will be unable to see the actual data in these encrypted fields.

Other options do not directly connect to granting access to encrypted fields specifically. "View All Contact" or "View All Data" permissions grant broad visibility to records but do not suffice for encrypted data. "Manage Encryptions" relates to the administration of encryption settings rather than providing end-user access to the encrypted data itself. Hence, enabling the "View Encrypted Data" permission is essential for users to access sensitive information in a compliant manner.