DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer is troubleshooting a failed AWS Glue job that reads from an Amazon RDS for MySQL table. The error message indicates 'java.sql.SQLException: No suitable driver'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
DEA-C01 often tests the confusion between connectivity errors (timeouts, network) and driver errors, where 'No suitable driver' specifically points to a missing or misconfigured JDBC driver JAR.
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
✓
The MySQL JDBC driver JAR is not included in the Glue job's dependencies.
The error 'java.sql.SQLException: No suitable driver' indicates that the Java application (the Glue job) cannot find a suitable JDBC driver for the database URL. In AWS Glue, you must include the JDBC driver JAR as a dependency for the job. If the MySQL JDBC driver JAR is not included, the job cannot load the driver class, resulting in this error.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The MySQL JDBC driver JAR is not included in the Glue job's dependencies.
Why this is correct
Glue's JDBC connection requires the MySQL driver JAR to be supplied via the job's dependent JARs path; the bundled environment lacks it, so the driver class cannot load and the connection throws 'No suitable driver'. Adding the MySQL Connector/J JAR resolves the missing driver.
- ✗
The Glue job is using the wrong JDBC driver class name.
Why it's wrong here
Glue's MySQL connector bundles the correct driver, so a wrong class name rarely causes this error. The message typically arises when the JDBC URL or connection properties are malformed. Specifying a driver class is relevant only for custom JDBC connections to unsupported engines.
- ✗
The Glue job's VPC subnet does not have a route to the RDS instance.
Why it's wrong here
A missing route causes connection timeouts or 'Communications link failure', not 'No suitable driver', which is a driver-loading error raised before any network call. VPC routing is the answer when Glue cannot reach RDS at all, producing timeout rather than driver errors.
- ✗
The RDS instance is not publicly accessible.
Why it's wrong here
A non-public RDS instance cannot be reached from Glue's VPC, but that surfaces as a connection timeout, not a driver error. The JDBC driver is bundled with Glue for MySQL, so the exception points to a missing or misconfigured connection option instead. Public accessibility matters only when connecting from outside a VPC.
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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
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.