DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A data engineer needs to transfer 50 TB of historical data from an on-premises HDFS cluster to Amazon S3. The on-premises network has a 1 Gbps link to AWS. The transfer must complete within 5 days. Which solution is MOST cost-effective and meets the requirements?
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
✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge to physically transfer the data.
AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device that can transfer large amounts of data faster than a network link, especially with a 1 Gbps link that would take about 4.6 days for 50 TB (theoretical max, but actual throughput will be lower due to overhead). Snowball Edge can transfer 50 TB in a few days and is cost-effective for large data volumes. Option A (Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration) speeds up transfers but still limited by network bandwidth. Option B (AWS DataSync) is efficient for online transfers but may not meet the 5-day deadline over 1 Gbps. Option D (AWS Direct Connect) would require additional setup and cost, and still limited by the 1 Gbps link.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration to speed up the transfer over the internet.
Why it's wrong here
Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration uses AWS edge locations to accelerate uploads, but it is still constrained by the 1 Gbps network link and would take longer than 5 days.
- ✗
Use AWS DataSync to transfer the data over the existing network link.
Why it's wrong here
AWS DataSync can efficiently transfer data over the network, but on a 1 Gbps link, the theoretical minimum time is about 4.6 days, and due to overhead and possible lower throughput, it may not meet the 5-day deadline reliably.
- ✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge to physically transfer the data.
Why this is correct
AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device used for offline data transfer. It can handle large volumes faster than network transfer and is cost-effective for this scenario.
- ✗
Use AWS Direct Connect to establish a dedicated network connection.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Direct Connect provides a dedicated network connection but still limited to 1 Gbps bandwidth and involves additional setup and cost, making it less cost-effective.
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 |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This DEA-C01 question is part of Courseiva's 1,711-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.