The answer is to assign an IAM role to the Glue job with permissions to access the bucket, and configure the bucket policy to allow that role. This works because AWS Glue jobs assume an IAM role at runtime, and cross-account S3 access requires a two-way authorization handshake: the Glue job’s IAM role must have an Allow on the S3 bucket’s actions, and the S3 bucket policy must explicitly grant access to that role from the source account. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how IAM roles bridge account boundaries versus using access keys or relying solely on resource-based policies—a common trap is thinking a bucket policy alone is sufficient, but the Glue job still needs its own IAM permissions. Remember the mnemonic “Role first, then policy” to recall that the Glue job’s IAM role is the primary identity, and the bucket policy is the secondary gatekeeper.
DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company uses AWS Glue for ETL jobs. The data engineer needs to ensure that the Glue job can access an S3 bucket in another account. What is the recommended approach?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Assign an IAM role to the Glue job with permissions to access the bucket, and configure the bucket policy to allow the role
Option A is correct because the Glue job's IAM role must have permissions to access the S3 bucket, and the bucket policy must allow the role. Option B is wrong because S3 bucket policies can allow cross-account access without requiring an IAM role in the other account. Option C is wrong because resource-based policies alone are not sufficient; the Glue job needs an IAM role with permissions. Option D is wrong because Glue jobs cannot use access keys; they use IAM roles.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Create an IAM role in the target account and have the Glue job assume that role
Why it's wrong here
Glue jobs can only assume roles in the same account.
✓
Assign an IAM role to the Glue job with permissions to access the bucket, and configure the bucket policy to allow the role
Why this is correct
This is the standard cross-account access method using IAM roles.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure the S3 bucket policy to allow the Glue job's IAM role and also set the Glue job's resource-based policy
Why it's wrong here
Glue jobs do not have resource-based policies.
✗
Store AWS access keys for the target account in AWS Secrets Manager and have the Glue job retrieve them
Why it's wrong here
Glue jobs should use IAM roles, not long-term access keys.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Data Ingestion and Transformation — This question tests Data Ingestion and Transformation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Assign an IAM role to the Glue job with permissions to access the bucket, and configure the bucket policy to allow the role — Option A is correct because the Glue job's IAM role must have permissions to access the S3 bucket, and the bucket policy must allow the role. Option B is wrong because S3 bucket policies can allow cross-account access without requiring an IAM role in the other account. Option C is wrong because resource-based policies alone are not sufficient; the Glue job needs an IAM role with permissions. Option D is wrong because Glue jobs cannot use access keys; they use IAM roles.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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