DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A data engineer is responsible for ingesting log files from a fleet of on-premises servers into Amazon S3 for central analysis. Each server generates log files that are rotated every hour, resulting in files of about 500 MB each. The total daily data volume is approximately 1 TB. The network connection between the on-premises data center and AWS is a 100 Mbps VPN. The engineer needs to ensure that all log files are transferred to S3 within 24 hours of generation without data loss. The engineer is considering using AWS DataSync. However, the initial setup shows that the transfer speed is insufficient to meet the 24-hour SLA. What should the engineer do to meet the requirement?
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
✓
Configure AWS DataSync to run on a schedule with incremental transfers and enable data compression.
AWS DataSync can be configured for incremental transfers after an initial full sync, which reduces the amount of data transferred on a daily basis. Additionally, enabling data compression reduces the size of the log files during transfer, making it feasible to meet the 24-hour SLA over a 100 Mbps VPN. Option A is incorrect because while AWS CLI with multipart uploads can improve throughput, it still requires manual scripting and does not provide the same optimization as DataSync. Option B is incorrect because upgrading the VPN bandwidth may not be immediately feasible or cost-effective. Option C is incorrect because ordering an AWS Snowball Edge device is intended for large initial data migrations, not for ongoing daily transfers; it would introduce delays and is not suitable for recurring incremental transfers.
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 CLI with multipart uploads and parallel threads to maximize throughput.
Why it's wrong here
While AWS CLI with multipart uploads and parallel threads can improve throughput for individual file transfers, it cannot overcome the hard bandwidth ceiling of a 100 Mbps VPN, which caps theoretical maximum daily transfer at approximately 1.08 TB—leaving no margin for protocol overhead, retransmissions, or contention, and thus failing the 24-hour SLA. This option is tempting because multipart uploads and parallelism are effective for saturating a high-bandwidth link or for transferring large files over a fast connection, where the bottleneck is S3 API limits rather than network capacity.
- ✗
Contact the network team to upgrade the VPN bandwidth to at least 1 Gbps.
Why it's wrong here
Bandwidth upgrade may not be possible quickly and could be costly.
- ✗
Order an AWS Snowball Edge device to transfer the initial data and then use DataSync for incremental changes.
Why it's wrong here
Snowball Edge is for large initial transfers but not for daily incremental; the issue is ongoing daily transfer.
- ✓
Configure AWS DataSync to run on a schedule with incremental transfers and enable data compression.
Why this is correct
Incremental transfers reduce the amount of data transferred each day; compression further reduces size, meeting the SLA.
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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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.