The best approach is to use AWS Transfer for SFTP and point the endpoint directly to an S3 bucket. This is correct because AWS Transfer for SFTP is a fully managed service that handles the FTP protocol natively and writes incoming CSV files straight into S3, eliminating the need to provision or patch any servers. For the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to choose the lowest-operational-overhead solution for ingesting files from external sources—a common scenario in the data pipeline domain. A frequent trap is overcomplicating the answer with Lambda or EC2, but remember that any solution requiring you to manage compute or write custom code adds unnecessary cost and maintenance. Memory tip: think “FTP to S3? Use Transfer—no server, no stress.”
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 engineer is designing a data pipeline that ingests CSV files from an FTP server to Amazon S3. The files arrive hourly and each file is about 500 MB. The engineer wants to minimize operational overhead and cost. Which approach is best?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS Transfer for SFTP and point the endpoint to an S3 bucket
AWS Transfer for SFTP provides a fully managed FTP service that writes directly to S3, eliminating the need to manage servers. Lambda with boto3 is code-heavy; EC2 requires management; Snowball is for large offline transfers.
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.
✗
Write a Python script in AWS Lambda using boto3 to download from FTP and upload to S3
Why it's wrong here
Lambda has a 15-minute timeout and 512 MB /tmp storage, insufficient for 500 MB files.
✗
Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer files weekly
Why it's wrong here
Designed for large offline data transfer, not hourly files.
✓
Use AWS Transfer for SFTP and point the endpoint to an S3 bucket
Why this is correct
Fully managed, no servers to manage, direct to S3.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Deploy an Amazon EC2 instance with a cron job to run wget and aws s3 cp
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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 Ingestion and Transformation — This question tests Data Ingestion and Transformation — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS Transfer for SFTP and point the endpoint to an S3 bucket — AWS Transfer for SFTP provides a fully managed FTP service that writes directly to S3, eliminating the need to manage servers. Lambda with boto3 is code-heavy; EC2 requires management; Snowball is for large offline transfers.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "minimum / minimize". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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