DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A data engineer has an AWS Glue ETL job that processes JSON files from Amazon S3. The job currently uses the DynamicFrame method to write output to Amazon Redshift. The engineer needs to improve write performance by using a staging Amazon S3 bucket and parallel COPY operations. Which AWS Glue connection option should the engineer configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that adding more DPUs or enabling a generic flag will automatically optimize Redshift writes, when the key is the staging directory property.
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
✓
Enable the 'redshiftTmpDir' connection property to specify an Amazon S3 temporary directory.
The redshiftTmpDir connection property tells AWS Glue to stage data in Amazon S3 and then run a COPY command into Redshift, which supports parallel loading and is far faster than JDBC inserts. The other options either reference non-existent properties or confuse read-side services like Redshift Spectrum with write-side optimizations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the number of Glue DPUs allocated to the job to enable parallel writes.
Why it's wrong here
Adding more DPUs increases compute capacity for the Glue job but does not automatically enable parallel COPY into Redshift. Without a staging S3 directory, Glue uses JDBC inserts that do not parallelize effectively. The redshiftTmpDir property is specifically required to trigger the optimized COPY-based write path.
- ✗
Set the 'useConnectionProperties' flag to true in the Glue job script.
Why it's wrong here
The useConnectionProperties flag is not a valid AWS Glue connection property for Redshift. This option does not exist in the AWS Glue API or documentation, and enabling it would have no effect on write performance. The engineer must use documented connection parameters such as redshiftTmpDir to achieve staging and parallel COPY behavior.
- ✓
Enable the 'redshiftTmpDir' connection property to specify an Amazon S3 temporary directory.
Why this is correct
Setting the redshiftTmpDir connection property directs AWS Glue to stage data in Amazon S3 before issuing a COPY command into Amazon Redshift. This enables parallel loading and significantly improves write performance for large datasets. Without this property, Glue may fall back to slower JDBC-based inserts, which are not optimized for bulk transfers.
- ✗
Configure the job to write to Amazon Redshift Spectrum using an external schema.
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Redshift Spectrum is used for querying external data in Amazon S3, not for writing data into Redshift tables. While Spectrum can read from S3, it does not provide a mechanism for bulk loading via COPY. The engineer needs a write path into Redshift, which requires the staging directory approach with redshiftTmpDir.
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 |
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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