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
AWS DataSync provides a managed agent that incrementally transfers on-premises files to Amazon S3 on a schedule, meeting the hourly, sub-1 GB, low-overhead constraint. It handles scheduling, integrity verification and retries natively, unlike scripting the AWS CLI or running bespoke cron jobs.
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Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis Data Firehose delivers streaming data to destinations such as Amazon S3, but it expects a continuous stream, not hourly CSV files sitting on-premises. It would be the right choice when the source already produces real-time events, not scheduled file batches.
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AWS Snowball Edge
Why it's wrong here
Snowball Edge is a physical appliance shipped for petabyte-scale offline transfer, so hourly ingestion of sub-1 GB files would be impractical and slow. It would be chosen when network transfer of very large datasets is infeasible, not for routine small recurring uploads.
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AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
AWS DMS migrates databases and replicates ongoing change data between engines; it does not ingest standalone CSV files into Amazon S3. It would be the right service when the source is a live database needing continuous replication, not hourly file drops.
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.