- A
Configure AWS Step Functions to poll the S3 bucket every minute and start the Glue job if new files exist.
Why wrong: Step Functions is overkill and polling is inefficient compared to event-driven approach.
- B
Configure Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger the Glue job on a schedule that checks for new files.
Why wrong: CloudWatch Events cannot directly detect new S3 objects; a scheduled job would check periodically, causing delays.
- C
Use Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) to queue file metadata and have a Lambda function poll the queue to start the Glue job.
Why wrong: SQS is unnecessary overhead; S3 event notifications directly invoke Lambda.
- D
Set up an S3 event notification on the bucket to invoke an AWS Lambda function that starts the Glue job.
S3 event notifications can invoke Lambda immediately when a new file is uploaded.
Trigger AWS Glue Job Automatically When New File Arrives in S3
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 healthcare company is building a data pipeline to ingest electronic health records (EHR) from hospitals. The data is sent as JSON files via SFTP to an on-premises server. The company wants to move this data to AWS using AWS Transfer Family (SFTP) and then process it with AWS Glue. Data sovereignty regulations require that all data remain within the EU (Frankfurt) region. The pipeline must detect when a new file arrives and start the Glue job automatically. The engineer has set up an AWS Transfer Family server in Frankfurt, and files are uploaded to an S3 bucket in the same region. However, the Glue job is not triggering automatically. The engineer needs to implement automated triggering. What should the engineer do?
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
Set up an S3 event notification on the bucket to invoke an AWS Lambda function that starts the Glue job.
Option D is correct because S3 event notifications can be configured to invoke an AWS Lambda function when a new object is created in the bucket, and the Lambda function can then start the AWS Glue job. This is the simplest and most direct method for automated triggering. Option A (Step Functions) adds unnecessary complexity and polling overhead. Option B (CloudWatch Events) cannot directly monitor S3 object creation events; it would require additional custom logic. Option C (SQS) is an unnecessary intermediary; S3 can directly invoke Lambda without needing a queue.
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.
- ✗
Configure AWS Step Functions to poll the S3 bucket every minute and start the Glue job if new files exist.
Why it's wrong here
Step Functions is overkill and polling is inefficient compared to event-driven approach.
- ✗
Configure Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger the Glue job on a schedule that checks for new files.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Events cannot directly detect new S3 objects; a scheduled job would check periodically, causing delays.
- ✗
Use Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) to queue file metadata and have a Lambda function poll the queue to start the Glue job.
Why it's wrong here
SQS is unnecessary overhead; S3 event notifications directly invoke Lambda.
- ✓
Set up an S3 event notification on the bucket to invoke an AWS Lambda function that starts the Glue job.
Why this is correct
S3 event notifications can invoke Lambda immediately when a new file is uploaded.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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 |
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.
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Data Ingestion and Transformation — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
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: Set up an S3 event notification on the bucket to invoke an AWS Lambda function that starts the Glue job. — Option D is correct because S3 event notifications can be configured to invoke an AWS Lambda function when a new object is created in the bucket, and the Lambda function can then start the AWS Glue job. This is the simplest and most direct method for automated triggering. Option A (Step Functions) adds unnecessary complexity and polling overhead. Option B (CloudWatch Events) cannot directly monitor S3 object creation events; it would require additional custom logic. Option C (SQS) is an unnecessary intermediary; S3 can directly invoke Lambda without needing a queue.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on DEA-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is building a data lake on S3. They have a large volume of CSV files (hundreds of GB) in a source bucket. They need to convert them to Parquet, partition by date, and ensure the data is encrypted at rest with SSE-KMS. The pipeline must be triggered automatically when new files arrive. Which THREE steps should be part of the solution? (Choose THREE.)
hard- ✓ A.Configure S3 Event Notification to send events to an SQS queue
- B.Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to ingest new files
- ✓ C.Create an AWS Glue ETL job that converts to Parquet and partitions by date
- D.Use Amazon Athena CTAS query to convert files in batch
- ✓ E.Configure the Glue job to use a KMS key for server-side encryption in S3
Why A: Option A is correct because S3 Event Notifications can be configured to send events to an SQS queue when new CSV files arrive. This decouples the ingestion pipeline, allowing the Glue job to poll the queue for new file notifications and trigger processing without tight coupling or polling the S3 bucket directly. SQS provides reliable, scalable message delivery that can trigger downstream ETL workflows.
Keep practising
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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