The answer is Amazon Macie and AWS Glue. This combination works because Macie uses machine learning to automatically discover and classify sensitive data like PII in S3, while Glue’s ETL jobs can then apply masking transformations—such as hashing, redaction, or tokenization—before loading the cleansed data into Redshift. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the separation of duties: detection is handled by a dedicated data security service, not by Glue itself. A common trap is choosing S3 Object Lambda, which redacts data at retrieval time but cannot integrate with Glue’s batch processing pipeline. Another is IAM Access Analyzer, which only audits resource policies, not data content. Remember the memory tip: “Macie finds it, Glue binds it” — Macie identifies the PII, then Glue binds the masking logic into the transformation step.
DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data security and governance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 to process data from Amazon S3. The data contains personally identifiable information (PII). The data engineer needs to automatically detect and mask PII fields before the data is loaded into Amazon Redshift. Which combination of AWS services should be used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon Macie and AWS Glue
Amazon Macie discovers sensitive data, and then AWS Glue can apply transformations to mask the PII before loading into Redshift. CloudWatch Logs is for monitoring, not detection. IAM Access Analyzer is for analyzing resource policies. S3 Object Lambda can redact data during retrieval but not during Glue ETL.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Amazon Macie and AWS Glue
Why this is correct
Macie detects PII, Glue can mask it in the ETL job before writing to Redshift.
CloudWatch Logs is for log monitoring, not PII detection. Lambda could mask but detection is missing.
✗
Amazon S3 Object Lambda and AWS Glue
Why it's wrong here
S3 Object Lambda modifies data on retrieval, but Glue reads from S3 directly; not the typical pattern for ETL masking.
✗
AWS IAM Access Analyzer and AWS Glue
Why it's wrong here
IAM Access Analyzer analyzes resource policies, not data content.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
→Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
→Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
→Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
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.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related DEA-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Data Security and Governance — This question tests Data Security and Governance — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon Macie and AWS Glue — Amazon Macie discovers sensitive data, and then AWS Glue can apply transformations to mask the PII before loading into Redshift. CloudWatch Logs is for monitoring, not detection. IAM Access Analyzer is for analyzing resource policies. S3 Object Lambda can redact data during retrieval but not during Glue ETL.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related DEA-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
About these practice questions
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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 is using AWS Glue to process data stored in Amazon S3. The data includes personally identifiable information (PII) that must be masked before being written to a separate output bucket. Which AWS service or feature can be used to automatically detect and mask sensitive data in the Glue ETL job?
hard
A.Configure CloudWatch Logs to filter and mask PII.
✓ B.Use Amazon Macie to identify sensitive data and apply masking logic in the Glue job.
C.Use an IAM policy to restrict access to the PII columns.
D.Enable S3 Object Lock on the output bucket.
Why B: Option D is correct because Amazon Macie can be integrated with AWS Glue to detect and mask sensitive data. Option A is wrong because IAM policies control access, not data masking. Option B is wrong because S3 Object Lock prevents object deletion or modification, not masking. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs do not mask data.
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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.
Question Discussion
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