DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer needs to schedule a recurring AWS Glue ETL job that must run every night at 02:00 UTC and must not start a new run while a previous run is still executing. The engineer wants the simplest managed scheduling option that integrates natively with Glue job run state. Which approach should the engineer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reaching for an external scheduler like EventBridge or Lambda when Glue already provides native cron triggers and concurrency limits.
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
✓
Configure a Glue trigger of type SCHEDULED with a cron expression and set the job's maximum concurrency to 1.
Glue scheduled triggers use cron expressions to start jobs at fixed times, and the job's maximum concurrency setting controls whether overlapping runs are allowed. Setting maximum concurrency to 1 ensures that if a run is still active when the next trigger fires, the new run does not start. This keeps scheduling and concurrency control entirely within Glue, which is the simplest managed solution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create an AWS Step Functions state machine with a Wait state that loops every 24 hours and starts the Glue job.
Why it's wrong here
Step Functions can orchestrate Glue jobs and even wait for completion, but building a 24-hour loop with a Wait state is more complex than a scheduled trigger. It also requires managing the state machine definition and execution history. While it can prevent overlap by waiting for completion, it is not the simplest managed scheduling option for a fixed nightly run.
- ✗
Use an AWS Lambda function invoked by a CloudWatch Events rule to call StartJobRun on a fixed schedule.
Why it's wrong here
A Lambda function can call StartJobRun, but the engineer would have to write logic to query the previous run's status and decide whether to skip. That is custom code to maintain rather than a managed scheduling feature. It also introduces a separate service to monitor and does not natively enforce the no-overlap requirement.
- ✓
Configure a Glue trigger of type SCHEDULED with a cron expression and set the job's maximum concurrency to 1.
Why this is correct
A SCHEDULED Glue trigger natively starts the job on a cron schedule, and setting the job's maximum concurrency to 1 prevents a new run from starting while a previous run is still active. Both settings live within Glue, so no external orchestration service is required. This is the simplest managed approach that meets the time-based schedule and the no-overlap requirement.
- ✗
Create an Amazon EventBridge scheduled rule with a cron expression that invokes the Glue job via a target.
Why it's wrong here
EventBridge scheduled rules can trigger Glue jobs, but the rule fires on a fixed schedule regardless of whether the previous run finished. Preventing overlap requires additional logic, such as checking job run state before starting, which EventBridge does not provide natively. This adds complexity and does not satisfy the requirement to avoid concurrent runs using the simplest managed option.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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