The correct answer is to configure the DMS task to write Parquet to S3 and specify the customer-managed KMS key ID in the S3 endpoint settings. This works because AWS DMS natively supports writing in Parquet format directly to S3, and you can enforce server-side encryption with a customer-managed KMS key by including the key’s ARN in the endpoint configuration—no intermediate conversion or EC2 instance is needed. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of DMS target endpoint settings versus bucket policies or task-level encryption; a common trap is assuming you must use a bucket policy to enforce KMS encryption, but DMS handles it at the endpoint level. Remember the memory tip: “Endpoint encrypts, bucket policy permits”—the KMS key goes in the S3 endpoint, not the bucket policy, and DMS writes Parquet directly without extra hops.
DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. 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 engineer needs to implement a data pipeline that ingests data from an on-premises database using AWS DMS and loads it into Amazon S3 in Parquet format. The data should be encrypted at rest in S3 using a customer-managed KMS key. Which combination of actions should the engineer take? (Choose the correct course of action.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure the DMS task to write to S3 in Parquet format, and specify the KMS key ID in the S3 endpoint settings.
Option D is correct because AWS DMS can write directly to S3 in Parquet format, and you can specify a KMS key for server-side encryption. Option A is incorrect because DMS does not support writing to S3 in JSON format without conversion, and encryption is handled by DMS settings. Option B is incorrect because DMS can write Parquet directly without an intermediate EC2 instance. Option C is incorrect because KMS encryption is set at the DMS task level, not via a bucket policy.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 the DMS task to write to S3 in Parquet format, and specify the KMS key ID in the S3 endpoint settings.
Why this is correct
DMS S3 endpoint supports KMS encryption and Parquet format.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Set up an EC2 instance to run a script that reads from the source and writes Parquet to S3 with KMS encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Unnecessary complexity; DMS can handle it.
✗
Use DMS to write JSON to S3, then use an AWS Glue job to convert to Parquet and enable KMS encryption on the Glue job.
Why it's wrong here
Unnecessary conversion; DMS can write Parquet directly.
✗
Configure the S3 bucket policy to require KMS encryption for all objects, and use DMS with default settings.
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policy alone does not enforce encryption in DMS.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DEA-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Data Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the DMS task to write to S3 in Parquet format, and specify the KMS key ID in the S3 endpoint settings. — Option D is correct because AWS DMS can write directly to S3 in Parquet format, and you can specify a KMS key for server-side encryption. Option A is incorrect because DMS does not support writing to S3 in JSON format without conversion, and encryption is handled by DMS settings. Option B is incorrect because DMS can write Parquet directly without an intermediate EC2 instance. Option C is incorrect because KMS encryption is set at the DMS task level, not via a bucket policy.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DEA-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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