The answer is the s3:GetObject permission on the S3 bucket containing the reference data. This is correct because Kinesis Data Analytics requires the ability to read the actual object contents from S3 when loading reference data, not just list the bucket. The s3:GetObject action grants read access to the object itself, while a common mistake is including only s3:ListBucket, which allows listing but not retrieving the file. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the precise IAM permissions needed for Kinesis Data Analytics to interact with S3 reference sources, often appearing as a trap where the policy has list permissions but lacks the get permission. A useful memory tip is "List to find it, Get to read it" — for reference data, you always need GetObject to fetch the file contents.
DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"kinesis:DescribeStream",
"kinesis:GetShardIterator",
"kinesis:GetRecords",
"kinesis:ListShards"
],
"Resource": "arn:aws:kinesis:us-east-1:123456789012:stream/input-stream"
A data engineer is setting up an Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics application to process streaming data from a Kinesis data stream named "input-stream". The application uses a reference data source from an S3 bucket. The engineer has attached the IAM policy shown in the exhibit to the application's IAM role. When starting the application, the engineer receives an 'AccessDeniedException' error. Which additional permission is required?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
s3:GetObject on the S3 bucket containing the reference data
The Kinesis Data Analytics application needs to read reference data from the S3 bucket, which requires the s3:GetObject permission on the bucket and its objects. The error 'AccessDeniedException' indicates the IAM role lacks this specific permission to retrieve the reference data file. Option B correctly adds the missing s3:GetObject action to allow the application to fetch the reference data from S3.
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.
✗
kinesis:PutRecord on the input stream
Why it's wrong here
PutRecord is for writing; the application reads from the stream.
✓
s3:GetObject on the S3 bucket containing the reference data
Why this is correct
The application needs to read reference data from S3, so GetObject is required.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
kinesis:CreateStream on the input stream
Why it's wrong here
CreateStream is for creating new streams, not for reading.
✗
kinesis:PutRecords on the input stream
Why it's wrong here
PutRecords is for writing; not needed for reading.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the direction of data flow and assume the application needs write permissions (PutRecord/PutRecords) to the input stream, when in fact it only needs read permissions (kinesis:DescribeStream, kinesis:GetShardIterator, kinesis:GetRecords) and the missing permission is for the separate S3 reference data source.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Kinesis Data Analytics applications use a 'reference data source' to enrich streaming data with static or slowly changing data stored in S3. Under the hood, the application's runtime fetches the reference data file using an S3 GetObject API call, so the IAM role must have s3:GetObject permission on the bucket (and optionally s3:ListBucket if the key prefix is unknown). A common real-world scenario is joining clickstream data with a product catalog stored in S3, where missing S3 read permissions cause the application to fail at startup.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: s3:GetObject on the S3 bucket containing the reference data — The Kinesis Data Analytics application needs to read reference data from the S3 bucket, which requires the s3:GetObject permission on the bucket and its objects. The error 'AccessDeniedException' indicates the IAM role lacks this specific permission to retrieve the reference data file. Option B correctly adds the missing s3:GetObject action to allow the application to fetch the reference data from S3.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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