The answer is that the Glue job’s IAM role lacks s3:PutObject permission on the Glue temporary S3 bucket (aws-glue-*). This is because AWS Glue ETL jobs automatically use a special S3 bucket in the same region—named with the prefix aws-glue-*—to store temporary files, bookkeeping data, and job metadata during execution. Even if the role has full permissions on the source and target buckets, failing to grant s3:PutObject on this temporary bucket causes an “S3 Access Denied” error when the job tries to write intermediate data. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Glue’s internal architecture and the common oversight of temporary bucket permissions. A frequent trap is assuming the error must come from the source or target bucket, when in reality Glue’s own scratch space is the culprit. Memory tip: think “Glue needs a scratch pad”—the aws-glue-* bucket is that pad, and without write access, the job can’t complete.
DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. 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 data engineering team uses Amazon S3 to store raw data files. They have an AWS Glue ETL job that reads from an S3 bucket, transforms the data, and writes to a Redshift cluster. The job runs daily and has been failing intermittently with the error: 'An error occurred while calling o143.pyWriteDynamicFrame. S3 Access Denied'. The team has confirmed that the IAM role used by the Glue job has s3:GetObject and s3:PutObject permissions on the bucket and all objects. The Redshift cluster is in the same VPC and the Glue connection is configured correctly. What is the most likely cause of the failure?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The Glue job's IAM role lacks permission to write to the Glue temporary file bucket (aws-glue-*).
Option D is correct because Glue jobs use a special S3 bucket for bookkeeping and temporary data. The job's IAM role must have s3:PutObject permission on the bucket used for temporary files, which is often 'aws-glue-*' for the same region. If this permission is missing, the job fails with access denied. Option A is wrong because the error is an S3 access issue, not a network timeout. Option B is wrong because the error is not related to schema mismatch. Option C is wrong because the error is an S3 access issue, not a Glue job timeout.
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.
✗
The Redshift cluster is not publicly accessible and the Glue job does not have a VPC endpoint to Redshift.
Why it's wrong here
The error message is S3 access denied, not connection timeout; also the job has a connection to the VPC.
✗
The Glue job has exceeded the maximum execution time and is being killed by AWS.
Why it's wrong here
Timeout would produce a different error, not S3 access denied.
✗
The Glue job is using the wrong JDBC driver version for Redshift.
Why it's wrong here
JDBC driver mismatch would cause a different error, typically related to connection or syntax.
✓
The Glue job's IAM role lacks permission to write to the Glue temporary file bucket (aws-glue-*).
Why this is correct
Glue uses a temporary S3 bucket for staging; the role must have s3:PutObject on that bucket.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
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.
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 Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The Glue job's IAM role lacks permission to write to the Glue temporary file bucket (aws-glue-*). — Option D is correct because Glue jobs use a special S3 bucket for bookkeeping and temporary data. The job's IAM role must have s3:PutObject permission on the bucket used for temporary files, which is often 'aws-glue-*' for the same region. If this permission is missing, the job fails with access denied. Option A is wrong because the error is an S3 access issue, not a network timeout. Option B is wrong because the error is not related to schema mismatch. Option C is wrong because the error is an S3 access issue, not a Glue job timeout.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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