DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer needs to export data from an Amazon DynamoDB table to Amazon S3 for archival purposes. The export should be a one-time operation and must not impact the read capacity of the table. Which approach meets these requirements?
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
✓
Use DynamoDB on-demand backup feature to export to S3
DynamoDB's on-demand backup feature can export table data directly to S3 without consuming any read capacity units, making it ideal for a one-time archival export. Option A (Scan operation) consumes read capacity and impacts table performance. Option B (AWS Glue ETL with DynamoDB connector) also uses Scan operations that consume read capacity. Option C (DynamoDB Streams to Lambda) is designed for continuous change capture, not one-time bulk export.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a Scan operation in a script to read all items and write to S3
Why it's wrong here
Scan consumes read capacity units.
- ✗
Use AWS Glue ETL with a DynamoDB connector
Why it's wrong here
Glue reads via Scan, consuming read capacity.
- ✗
Set up a DynamoDB Stream to Lambda that writes to S3
Why it's wrong here
Stream is for real-time changes, not full export.
- ✓
Use DynamoDB on-demand backup feature to export to S3
Why this is correct
Backup exports to S3 without consuming read capacity.
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
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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.