DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer is troubleshooting a failed AWS Glue job that reads from an Apache Hive metastore in an Amazon EMR cluster. The error message indicates 'ClassNotFoundException: org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.metadata.HiveException'. The Glue job uses a custom Python shell script. What is the most likely cause of this error?
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
✓
Include the Hive JAR files in the 'Python library path' or use a Glue version with Hive support.
The ClassNotFoundException for Hive classes indicates that the required Hive JARs are not available in the Glue job's classpath. The solution is to include the Hive JAR files in the 'Python library path' or use a Glue version that supports Hive connectivity. Option A is incorrect because a network connectivity issue would cause a different error, such as a timeout or connection refused. Option C is incorrect because simply adding an import statement in the Python script does not provide the underlying JAR files; the JARs must be included via library path. Option D is incorrect because IAM permissions do not affect class loading; the error is related to missing dependencies, not authorization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Check the network connectivity between Glue and the EMR cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Network issues cause connection timeouts, not class not found.
- ✓
Include the Hive JAR files in the 'Python library path' or use a Glue version with Hive support.
Why this is correct
Glue needs Hive JARs in the classpath to connect to Hive metastore.
- ✗
Modify the Python script to import the Hive libraries manually.
Why it's wrong here
Python imports do not resolve Java classpath issues.
- ✗
Update the IAM role to allow 'hive:Describe*' actions.
Why it's wrong here
IAM actions do not affect class loading.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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