DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A data engineer needs to ingest on-premises CSV files into Amazon S3 every hour. The files are less than 1 GB each. Which service is the most cost-effective and requires the least operational overhead?
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 DataSync
AWS DataSync is the most cost-effective and least overhead option for scheduled, recurring transfers of on-premises CSV files to S3. It provides a simple agent-based setup, supports hourly scheduling, and handles files under 1GB efficiently without complex configuration. In contrast, Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose is designed for streaming data ingestion, not batch file transfers; AWS Snowball Edge is intended for large-scale offline data migrations, not hourly incremental transfers; and AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) is specialized for migrating databases, not file transfers.
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 this is correct
DataSync automates scheduled transfers from on-premises to S3.
- ✗
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why it's wrong here
Firehose is for streaming data, not batch file transfers.
- ✗
AWS Snowball Edge
Why it's wrong here
Snowball is for large data volumes, not hourly small transfers.
- ✗
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for database migrations, not file transfers.
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.