DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
An organization needs to ingest data from on-premises databases into AWS S3 for archival purposes. The data volume is several TB per day, and the network has moderate bandwidth. Which AWS service is BEST suited for this bulk data transfer?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse AWS DataSync with AWS Direct Connect, thinking a dedicated network link is required for large transfers, but DataSync is optimized to work over existing internet connections with moderate bandwidth, making it the more practical and cost-effective service for this use case.
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 best choice because it is designed for efficiently moving large volumes of data (several TB per day) from on-premises storage to AWS, including S3. It automates and accelerates data transfer over the existing network using a purpose-built protocol and parallel multi-threading, while handling encryption, validation, and scheduling. For moderate bandwidth, DataSync optimizes throughput and can resume interrupted transfers, making it ideal for ongoing archival ingestion.
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 Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect is a network connection, not a data transfer service.
- ✗
Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration speeds up uploads over the internet, but is not ideal for on-premises bulk transfer.
- ✗
AWS Snowball
Why it's wrong here
Snowball is an offline device for very large transfers, but not for ongoing daily transfers.
- ✓
AWS DataSync
Why this is correct
DataSync automates and accelerates moving data from on-premises to AWS.
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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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.