DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A data engineer needs to design a data ingestion pipeline that ingests CSV files from an Amazon S3 bucket, transforms the data by adding a timestamp column, and loads it into an Amazon Redshift table. The pipeline should run automatically whenever a new file is uploaded to the S3 bucket. Which AWS service should be used to trigger the transformation?
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
✓
AWS Lambda
Amazon S3 can be configured to send events directly to AWS Lambda when a new CSV file is uploaded. Lambda then executes the transformation (adding a timestamp column) and loads the data into Redshift. Option B (Step Functions) is not triggered directly by S3 events without an intermediate service like Lambda. Option C (EventBridge) can route S3 events to Lambda, but a direct S3 event notification to Lambda is simpler and more common; however, the key point is that Lambda is the direct trigger. Option D (SQS) requires a separate process to poll the queue and invoke Lambda; it is not a direct trigger.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
AWS Lambda
Why this is correct
Lambda integrates natively with S3 event notifications, so an object-created event invokes the function immediately. The function runs the transformation code, adding the timestamp column, then loads results into Redshift, meeting the automatic per-upload trigger requirement.
- ✗
AWS Step Functions
Why it's wrong here
Step Functions orchestrates multi-step workflows but is not itself an event source for S3 object creation; it must be invoked by something else. It is the right choice when coordinating branching, retries and multiple services, not for directly triggering a transformation on upload.
- ✗
Amazon EventBridge
Why it's wrong here
Amazon EventBridge is designed for building event-driven architectures by routing events from various sources to multiple targets based on rules. While it can receive S3 events, it is not the most direct or idiomatic service to trigger a specific transformation logic immediately upon a new S3 file upload. S3 Event Notifications offer a native, direct integration to invoke a Lambda function or other compute service for this exact scenario. EventBridge would be the correct choice if the pipeline required complex event filtering, routing S3 events to multiple diverse targets, or integrating with external SaaS applications.
- ✗
Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS)
Why it's wrong here
SQS decouples and buffers messages; it cannot detect S3 object creation events or invoke transformation logic, so nothing triggers the pipeline. It would suit decoupling producers from consumers, but event-driven invocation requires Amazon S3 Event Notifications routed to a compute service such as Lambda.
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 |
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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.