The answer is AWS Glue, because it provides a serverless Spark environment purpose-built for batch ETL tasks like converting CSV to Parquet partitioned by date. Glue’s built-in transformation libraries and dynamic frame API automatically handle schema inference and partition writes to S3, making it ideal for daily CSV ingestion that must be optimized for Athena queries. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between batch and streaming services: Lambda is a common trap due to its 15-minute timeout and 10 GB memory ceiling, which fails for large file conversions, while EMR requires manual cluster management and Kinesis Data Firehose targets real-time data. Remember the memory tip: “Glue for batch, Firehose for stream, Lambda for small, EMR for team.”
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 data pipeline ingests daily CSV files from an FTP server into an Amazon S3 bucket. The files must be converted to Parquet format and partitioned by date for efficient querying using Amazon Athena. Which AWS service is most suitable for this transformation?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS Glue
Option D is correct because AWS Glue offers a serverless Spark environment with built-in transformation libraries and can automatically partition data. Option A is wrong because Lambda has a 15-minute timeout and 10 GB memory limit, making it unsuitable for large CSV-to-Parquet conversions. Option B is wrong because EMR requires cluster management. Option C is wrong because Kinesis Data Firehose is for streaming, not batch.
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.
✗
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis Data Firehose is for real-time streaming, not batch file processing.
✗
Amazon EMR
Why it's wrong here
EMR requires managing clusters and is overkill for simple batch transformation.
✓
AWS Glue
Why this is correct
Glue provides a serverless Spark environment that can transform CSV to Parquet and partition data efficiently.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Lambda has time and memory constraints that make it unsuitable for large file conversions.
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 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 Glue — Option D is correct because AWS Glue offers a serverless Spark environment with built-in transformation libraries and can automatically partition data. Option A is wrong because Lambda has a 15-minute timeout and 10 GB memory limit, making it unsuitable for large CSV-to-Parquet conversions. Option B is wrong because EMR requires cluster management. Option C is wrong because Kinesis Data Firehose is for streaming, not batch.
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.
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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.
Question Discussion
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