DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A company has a 100 TB dataset stored on-premises in a Hadoop cluster. They want to ingest this data into Amazon S3 for processing with AWS Glue. The company has a limited time window and a slow internet connection. Which strategy is MOST appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may overestimate the effectiveness of network acceleration techniques (like Transfer Acceleration or Direct Connect) for extremely large datasets, failing to recognize that physical shipping is the only viable option when bandwidth and time are severely constrained.
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
✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge to physically ship the data to AWS.
AWS Snowball Edge is the most appropriate strategy because the dataset is 100 TB, the time window is limited, and the internet connection is slow. Snowball Edge provides a physical storage device that can be shipped to AWS, bypassing network bandwidth constraints entirely. This approach is designed for large-scale data transfers (typically over 10 TB) where network transfer would be impractical or exceed the available time window.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge to physically ship the data to AWS.
Why this is correct
Snowball Edge bypasses the slow internet connection by physically shipping 100 TB, meeting the limited time window. Network transfer of that volume over a slow link would take far too long, so physical shipment is the appropriate strategy.
- ✗
Use AWS DataSync over the existing internet connection.
Why it's wrong here
DataSync still transfers over the same slow internet connection, so the 100 TB cannot complete within the limited window. DataSync is correct for ongoing or scheduled replication between stores where bandwidth is adequate, or when paired with Direct Connect.
- ✗
Use Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration to speed up the upload.
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration only optimises the path from client to edge location; the origin's slow internet uplink remains the bottleneck for 100 TB. It suits globally distributed clients uploading modest volumes to a central bucket, not a constrained on-premises link.
- ✗
Use AWS Direct Connect to establish a high-bandwidth connection.
Why it's wrong here
Provisioning Direct Connect takes weeks to arrange and still requires a transfer mechanism on top; the limited time window rules it out. Direct Connect is the right choice for ongoing hybrid connectivity with consistent bandwidth, not a one-off bulk migration under deadline.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on DEA-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company needs to ingest data from an on-premises Hadoop cluster into Amazon S3 for archival and analysis. The total data volume is 50 TB. The migration must be completed within one week. The on-premises network has a 1 Gbps connection to AWS. Which AWS service should be used?
easy- A.AWS Transfer Family
- ✓ B.AWS Snowball Edge
- C.AWS Glue
- D.AWS DataSync
Why B: AWS Snowball Edge is the correct choice because it is designed for large-scale data transfers (50 TB) over slow or unreliable networks. With a 1 Gbps connection, transferring 50 TB would take approximately 5 days under ideal conditions, but real-world factors (e.g., network congestion, protocol overhead) make it risky to complete within one week. Snowball Edge physically ships the data, bypassing network constraints entirely.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DEA-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services 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 DEA-C01 exam.