DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A data engineer needs to ingest data from an external partner's FTP server to Amazon S3. The data arrives once daily as a CSV file. Which AWS service should be used for this ingestion?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse AWS DataSync (which is for NFS/SMB, not FTP) with a general-purpose file transfer service, or they incorrectly assume Kinesis Data Firehose can handle batch file ingestion from external sources.
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 Transfer Family
AWS Transfer Family provides fully managed support for file transfers over SFTP, FTPS, and FTP protocols, making it the correct choice for ingesting CSV files from an external partner's FTP server. It integrates directly with Amazon S3 as a destination, enabling automated, secure, and scheduled transfers without custom infrastructure.
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 DataSync
Why it's wrong here
AWS DataSync transfers data between on-premises storage and AWS, but it requires an agent deployed on your own infrastructure and does not natively pull from a partner's external FTP server. It is tempting because it handles scheduled file transfers, and it would be correct for migrating on-premises file shares into Amazon S3.
- ✗
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis Data Firehose delivers streaming data with low latency and does not poll an external FTP server; it requires a producer pushing records. It would be correct for continuous streaming ingestion into S3, but this scenario needs scheduled file retrieval from FTP, which AWS Transfer Family or DataSync handles.
- ✗
Amazon AppFlow
Why it's wrong here
Amazon AppFlow integrates SaaS applications such as Salesforce and ServiceNow with AWS, and cannot connect to a partner's FTP server. It would be correct for pulling data from a supported SaaS API into S3, but this scenario needs FTP file transfer, which AWS Transfer Family provides.
- ✓
AWS Transfer Family
Why this is correct
AWS Transfer Family provides a fully managed FTP endpoint that writes directly into Amazon S3, satisfying the daily CSV ingestion requirement without custom code or servers. Unlike AWS DataSync, which synchronises existing data stores, Transfer Family natively speaks FTP, letting the external partner push files straight to S3.
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
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,321 original DEA-C01 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on DEA-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A data engineer needs to ingest data from an external FTP server into S3 on a schedule. The FTP server is only accessible via VPN. Which AWS service is best suited for this task?
easy- ✓ A.AWS Transfer Family
- B.AWS Snowcone
- C.AWS Glue with a Python shell
- D.AWS DataSync
Why A: AWS Transfer Family supports FTP, FTPS, and SFTP protocols and can be integrated with a VPC using Elastic IPs or a VPC endpoint, enabling secure access to an FTP server reachable only via VPN. It automates the transfer of files from the external FTP server to Amazon S3 on a schedule without requiring custom code or infrastructure management.
JA
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.