DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer is setting up a new Amazon Redshift cluster for a data warehouse. The engineer wants to ensure data durability and high availability. Which THREE features should the engineer consider? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is assuming Redshift offers RDS-style Multi-AZ automatic failover, when its availability model is multi-node replication plus snapshots and cross-region copy.
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
✓
Cross-Region snapshot copy.
Option B (Cross-Region snapshot copy) is correct because Redshift can automatically copy cluster snapshots to an S3 bucket in another AWS Region, providing disaster recovery and durability if an entire Region becomes unavailable. Option C (Multi-node cluster with data replication) is correct because a multi-node Redshift cluster distributes data across compute nodes and maintains replicas of each block on other nodes, so the cluster can continue serving queries if a node or disk fails. Option E (Automated snapshots to Amazon S3) is correct because Redshift automatically takes snapshots of the cluster and stores them in Amazon S3, enabling point-in-time recovery and restoring the cluster if data is lost or corrupted. Option A is not correct because S3 Cross-Region Replication is an S3 feature for replicating S3 objects and is not a Redshift durability mechanism. Option D is not correct because Redshift does not offer a Multi-AZ deployment mode with automatic failover; high availability within a Region is achieved through multi-node replication and automated snapshots.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
S3 Cross-Region Replication for Redshift data.
Why it's wrong here
S3 Cross-Region Replication copies objects between S3 buckets and never replicates Redshift cluster data, so it provides no durability or availability for the warehouse. It suits protecting S3-resident datasets. Redshift durability instead relies on features such as automatic backups, snapshots and Multi-AZ.
- ✓
Cross-Region snapshot copy.
Why this is correct
Cross-Region snapshot copy replicates automated and manual snapshots to a secondary AWS Region, so cluster data survives a full regional outage. This directly satisfies the durability and high availability requirement, since Redshift snapshots are stored in Amazon S3 and copying them across Regions provides disaster recovery beyond a single Region's failure.
- ✓
Multi-node cluster with data replication.
Why this is correct
A multi-node cluster distributes data and workload across nodes, and Redshift automatically replicates each node's data to another node so queries continue if a node fails. This delivers in-Region high availability for compute and data.
- ✗
Multi-AZ deployment for automatic failover.
Why it's wrong here
Redshift does not support Multi-AZ; it uses automatic failover within an AZ.
- ✓
Automated snapshots to Amazon S3.
Why this is correct
Automated snapshots back up the cluster to Amazon S3 on a retention schedule, restoring the warehouse to any retained point in time. This provides the durability element of the requirement, protecting against data loss or accidental deletion.
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
Related to this question
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways 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 data engineer is setting up an Amazon Redshift cluster for a new data warehouse. The engineer needs to ensure that the cluster can automatically recover from failures and maintain high availability. Which TWO actions should the engineer take? (Choose TWO.)
medium- A.Configure workload management (WLM) queues to prioritize critical queries.
- ✓ B.Configure automated snapshots with a retention period of 1 day and enable cluster recreation from snapshots.
- ✓ C.Enable Multi-AZ deployment.
- D.Enable concurrency scaling.
- E.Configure manual snapshots with cross-region copy.
Why B: (Configure automated snapshots with a retention period of 1 day and enable cluster recreation from snapshots) and Option C (Enable Multi-AZ deployment) are correct. Amazon Redshift supports Multi-AZ deployments for high availability, providing automatic failover to a standby cluster in another Availability Zone in case of failure. Automated snapshots allow point-in-time recovery and enable the cluster to be recreated from a snapshot if the primary cluster fails, ensuring data durability and recovery. Option A is incorrect because WLM queues manage query concurrency and priority, not availability. Option D is incorrect because concurrency scaling improves performance for concurrent queries, not availability. Option E is incorrect because manual snapshots require manual intervention and do not automatically recover from failures.
Variation 2. A data engineer is troubleshooting an Amazon Redshift cluster that has experienced a node failure. The engineer needs to ensure that the cluster is highly available and can withstand a single node failure with minimal downtime. Which TWO actions should the engineer take?
medium- ✓ A.Enable automated snapshots with cross-region copy.
- B.Enable concurrency scaling to handle increased read traffic.
- C.Deploy the cluster as a single-node cluster for simplicity.
- D.Place the cluster in a public subnet with an internet gateway.
- ✓ E.Use a multi-node cluster with RA3 node types.
Why A: Option A is correct because automated snapshots with cross-region copy provide a recovery mechanism that allows the cluster to be restored in another AWS Region if the primary Region or cluster suffers a failure, supporting high availability and minimizing downtime. Option E is correct because a multi-node cluster with RA3 node types distributes data and compute across multiple nodes, so the failure of a single node does not take down the entire cluster; Redshift automatically detects the failure and can recover the node, maintaining availability. Option B is not correct because concurrency scaling only adds transient compute capacity for read workloads and does not protect against node failure. Option C is not correct because a single-node cluster has no redundancy and cannot withstand a node failure. Option D is not correct because placing the cluster in a public subnet with an internet gateway affects network accessibility, not the cluster's ability to survive a node failure.
JA
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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