- A
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with change data capture
DMS supports ongoing replication with CDC and can write to S3.
- B
AWS Glue DataBrew
Why wrong: DataBrew is a visual data preparation tool, not for replication.
- C
Amazon Kinesis Data Streams with Kinesis Client Library
Why wrong: Kinesis requires custom integration to capture CDC from RDS.
- D
Amazon Redshift Spectrum
Why wrong: Redshift Spectrum queries data in S3, it does not ingest.
Question 683 of 1,786
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 company runs a SQL Server transactional database on Amazon RDS. They need to capture change data (inserts, updates, deletes) in near real-time and replicate them to an Amazon S3 data lake. Which AWS service is most suitable?
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 Database Migration Service (DMS) with change data capture
AWS DMS with change data capture (CDC) is the most suitable service because it can continuously capture and replicate incremental changes (inserts, updates, deletes) from a SQL Server transactional database on Amazon RDS to an S3 data lake in near real-time. DMS uses native SQL Server transaction logs (e.g., MS-CDC or log-based replication) to read changes without impacting source performance, and it supports target S3 in formats like Parquet or CSV. This directly meets the requirement for near-real-time CDC replication to a data lake.
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.
- ✓
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with change data capture
Why this is correct
DMS supports ongoing replication with CDC and can write to S3.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Glue DataBrew
Why it's wrong here
DataBrew is a visual data preparation tool, not for replication.
- ✗
Amazon Kinesis Data Streams with Kinesis Client Library
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis requires custom integration to capture CDC from RDS.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift Spectrum
Why it's wrong here
Redshift Spectrum queries data in S3, it does not ingest.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Kinesis Data Streams as a general-purpose streaming solution for any real-time data, but it lacks native CDC capabilities for relational databases without additional custom code or connectors, making DMS the correct choice for database-to-S3 replication.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, DMS CDC works by reading the SQL Server transaction log (LDF files) using the MS-Replication or MS-CDC mechanism, which captures row-level changes as they are committed. DMS then applies these changes to the S3 target in micro-batches, typically with a latency of seconds to minutes depending on workload and instance size. A subtle behavior is that DMS requires full load plus CDC mode to be enabled initially, and it uses task-level settings like 'MaxFullLoadSubTasks' and 'ParallelApplyThreads' to optimize throughput for large datasets.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
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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: AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with change data capture — AWS DMS with change data capture (CDC) is the most suitable service because it can continuously capture and replicate incremental changes (inserts, updates, deletes) from a SQL Server transactional database on Amazon RDS to an S3 data lake in near real-time. DMS uses native SQL Server transaction logs (e.g., MS-CDC or log-based replication) to read changes without impacting source performance, and it supports target S3 in formats like Parquet or CSV. This directly meets the requirement for near-real-time CDC replication to a data lake.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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