Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Glue. For a nightly batch ETL job processing 100 GB from S3 into Redshift, Glue reduces operational overhead by eliminating the need to provision and manage EMR clusters, as it is a fully serverless service that automatically scales compute resources and handles job scheduling. This contrasts with EMR, where you must manually configure cluster size, monitor instances, and manage lifecycle, even for recurring workloads. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of when to choose managed services over cluster-based solutions; a common trap is selecting Redshift Spectrum (which queries S3 directly, not loads data) or Athena (ad-hoc queries, not scheduled ETL). Remember the memory tip: “Glue sticks your data together without the cluster clutter” — if the job is scheduled, serverless, and loads into Redshift, Glue is the low-overhead choice.
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 has a nightly batch job that processes 100 GB of data from an Amazon S3 bucket and loads it into an Amazon Redshift table. The job currently runs on an Amazon EMR cluster. Which service would reduce operational overhead while providing similar functionality?
AWS Database Migration Service
Why wrong: DMS is for database migration, not for file-based ETL from S3.
AWS Glue
Glue can run serverless ETL jobs on a schedule, reducing overhead.
Amazon Redshift Spectrum
Why wrong: Spectrum queries S3 directly but does not load data into Redshift tables.
Amazon Athena
Why wrong: Athena is for querying, not for loading data into Redshift.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Glue
AWS Glue is a serverless ETL service that can run scheduled jobs and reduce overhead compared to managing EMR clusters. Redshift Spectrum is for querying S3, not for ETL. Athena is for ad-hoc queries. DMS is for database migration.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Database Migration Service
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for database migration, not for file-based ETL from S3.
AWS Glue
Why this is correct
Glue can run serverless ETL jobs on a schedule, reducing overhead.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Redshift Spectrum
Why it's wrong here
Spectrum queries S3 directly but does not load data into Redshift tables.
Amazon Athena
Why it's wrong here
Athena is for querying, not for loading data into Redshift.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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 — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Data Ingestion and Transformation — This question tests Data Ingestion and Transformation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Glue — AWS Glue is a serverless ETL service that can run scheduled jobs and reduce overhead compared to managing EMR clusters. Redshift Spectrum is for querying S3, not for ETL. Athena is for ad-hoc queries. DMS is for database migration.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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