DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A data pipeline uses AWS Glue to read CSV files from an S3 bucket, transform them, and write Parquet back to S3. The pipeline runs daily and processes about 500 GB per run. The team wants to reduce costs without increasing runtime. Which approach is most effective?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Optimize the Glue script to select only required columns and filter rows early.
Option D is correct because using column pruning and predicate pushdown reduces the amount of data scanned, lowering costs without affecting runtime. Option A is wrong because increasing DPUs may increase cost and runtime unpredictably. Option B is wrong because converting to Parquet upfront would add an extra processing step and cost. Option C is wrong because job bookmarks track processed data but do not reduce cost per run.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Pre-convert the CSV files to Parquet in S3 using a separate process.
Why it's wrong here
Adds extra processing and cost.
✗
Enable job bookmarks to skip already processed data.
Why it's wrong here
Helps incremental processing but doesn't reduce cost for a full daily load.
✗
Increase the number of DPUs for the Glue job to improve parallelism.
Why it's wrong here
May increase cost without guaranteed runtime reduction.
✓
Optimize the Glue script to select only required columns and filter rows early.
Why this is correct
Reduces data scanned, lowering cost.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Data Ingestion and Transformation — This question tests Data Ingestion and Transformation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Optimize the Glue script to select only required columns and filter rows early. — Option D is correct because using column pruning and predicate pushdown reduces the amount of data scanned, lowering costs without affecting runtime. Option A is wrong because increasing DPUs may increase cost and runtime unpredictably. Option B is wrong because converting to Parquet upfront would add an extra processing step and cost. Option C is wrong because job bookmarks track processed data but do not reduce cost per run.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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