The answer is a missing partition folder, most likely deleted or not created by an upstream process. AWS Glue ETL jobs rely on the Hive-style partition structure in S3, where each partition corresponds to a physical folder path like `year=2024/month=01/day=15/`. When that folder is absent—whether due to a failed data pipeline, manual cleanup, or a skipped load—Glue’s Spark engine throws a “No such file or directory” error because it cannot locate the expected files. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how Glue’s catalog and S3 partition discovery work together; a common trap is to blame permissions or schema evolution, but those produce different error signatures. Remember the mnemonic: “Missing folder, missing data—Glue can’t find what isn’t there.”
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 company uses AWS Glue to run ETL jobs daily. The data is stored in S3 as Parquet files partitioned by date. Recently, jobs have failed with the error 'No such file or directory' for certain partitions. What is the MOST likely cause?
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
✓
A partition folder was deleted or not created by the upstream process.
Option B is correct because if a partition folder is missing, Glue may fail looking for it. Option A is wrong because a lack of permissions would produce an access denied error. Option C is wrong because schema evolution typically causes type mismatches, not missing files. Option D is wrong because compression issues cause read errors, not missing files.
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 schema has changed and Glue cannot parse the data.
Why it's wrong here
Schema evolution causes parsing errors, not missing files.
✓
A partition folder was deleted or not created by the upstream process.
Why this is correct
Missing partition leads to 'No such file or directory'.
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.
✗
The files are compressed with an unsupported codec.
Why it's wrong here
Unsupported compression causes read errors, not missing files.
✗
The IAM role does not have s3:GetObject permission.
Why it's wrong here
Would cause access denied, not missing file.
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: A partition folder was deleted or not created by the upstream process. — Option B is correct because if a partition folder is missing, Glue may fail looking for it. Option A is wrong because a lack of permissions would produce an access denied error. Option C is wrong because schema evolution typically causes type mismatches, not missing files. Option D is wrong because compression issues cause read errors, not missing files.
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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