DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer needs to schedule a recurring AWS Glue ETL job to run every day at 2:00 AM UTC. The job must be triggered automatically without manual intervention. Which AWS service should the engineer use to create this schedule?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is overcomplicating the solution by involving additional services like EventBridge or Lambda, when AWS Glue triggers natively support scheduled execution.
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 Glue triggers
AWS Glue triggers provide a built-in scheduling capability for Glue jobs. A time-based trigger uses a cron expression to define the schedule, such as 'cron(0 2 * * ? *)' for 2:00 AM UTC daily. This eliminates the need for external services and keeps the scheduling logic within AWS Glue, simplifying management and monitoring.
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 Glue triggers
Why this is correct
AWS Glue triggers are designed to start jobs, crawlers, or other triggers based on a schedule or events. A time-based trigger can be configured with a cron expression to run daily at 2:00 AM UTC. This is the native and simplest way to schedule Glue jobs, requiring no additional services. It integrates directly with the Glue job and provides status monitoring.
- ✗
Amazon EventBridge (CloudWatch Events) rules
Why it's wrong here
Amazon EventBridge can schedule AWS Glue jobs using a cron expression and a target, but it is not the native scheduling mechanism within AWS Glue. While it works, it adds an extra service to manage. The question asks for the service to create the schedule; Glue triggers are purpose-built and more straightforward for this scenario.
- ✗
AWS Lambda with a CloudWatch Events schedule
Why it's wrong here
This approach requires writing a Lambda function to start the Glue job and setting up a CloudWatch Events schedule. It is more complex and introduces additional components. AWS Glue triggers provide the same functionality natively without custom code, making them the preferred choice for simple scheduling.
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AWS Step Functions with a Wait state
Why it's wrong here
Step Functions can orchestrate Glue jobs but are not designed for simple time-based scheduling. Using a Wait state in a loop is inefficient and not a standard scheduling method. Step Functions are better for complex workflows with dependencies, not for basic daily triggers. Glue triggers are the appropriate tool here.
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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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