DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A data engineer needs to ingest log files from multiple EC2 instances into Amazon S3. The logs are written to local disk on each instance. The engineer wants a simple agent-based solution that can collect, compress, and upload logs to S3 with minimal configuration. The solution must support incremental uploads (only new log lines) and handle log rotation. What should the engineer use?
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
✓
Install and configure Amazon CloudWatch Agent to collect logs and send them to Amazon CloudWatch Logs, then use a subscription filter to export logs to S3.
Amazon CloudWatch Agent is a lightweight agent that can tail log files, compress them on the fly, and send them to CloudWatch Logs. From CloudWatch Logs, a subscription filter can export the logs to Amazon S3, supporting incremental uploads and log rotation. Option B (AWS CLI cp) is manual and does not handle incremental uploads efficiently. Option C (AWS DataSync) is designed for bulk data transfers, not real-time log ingestion. Option D (S3 sync) is also not real-time and lacks agent-based tailing and compression.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Install and configure Amazon CloudWatch Agent to collect logs and send them to Amazon CloudWatch Logs, then use a subscription filter to export logs to S3.
Why this is correct
Kinesis Agent tails log files, compresses, and sends to CloudWatch Logs; export to S3 can be automated.
- ✗
Use AWS CLI cp command with --recursive in a cron job to copy logs to S3 every minute.
Why it's wrong here
This is manual and inefficient; does not support incremental uploads natively.
- ✗
Install AWS DataSync agent on each EC2 instance to sync logs to S3 daily.
Why it's wrong here
DataSync is for bulk data transfer, not real-time log streaming.
- ✗
Use an S3 sync command from the AWS CLI scheduled every hour.
Why it's wrong here
S3 sync is not real-time and may upload unchanged files.
Visual reference
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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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.