The answer is to use the Redshift COPY command with a manifest file, review CloudWatch Logs for errors, and enable job bookmarks. This combination directly addresses the missing records by ensuring the Glue job processes only the exact files listed in the manifest, eliminating partial or duplicate reads from S3, while CloudWatch Logs reveal runtime failures and bookmarks track incremental data to prevent reprocessing gaps. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Glue-to-Redshift consistency patterns, often appearing as a trap where candidates overlook the manifest file’s role in guaranteeing atomic loads versus relying solely on Glue’s default file tracking. Remember the mnemonic “MBC” for Manifest, Bookmarks, CloudWatch—each tackles a distinct failure point: manifest for file-level precision, bookmarks for stateful tracking, and logs for error visibility.
DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 troubleshooting an AWS Glue job that reads from Amazon S3 and writes to Amazon Redshift. The job runs successfully but 5% of records are missing after the load. The engineer suspects data consistency issues. Which THREE actions could help diagnose and resolve the problem? (Choose THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use the Redshift COPY command with a manifest file to load data.
Option A is correct because using the Redshift COPY command with a manifest file ensures that only the exact files listed in the manifest are loaded, eliminating the risk of partial or duplicate reads from S3. This is a common pattern to guarantee data consistency when the Glue job may not reliably track which files have been processed, especially in scenarios with concurrent writes or retries.
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.
✓
Use the Redshift COPY command with a manifest file to load data.
Why this is correct
Manifest file ensures all files are loaded.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the number of DPUs for the Glue job.
Why it's wrong here
More DPUs improve performance but not data consistency.
✓
Enable Glue job bookmarks to track processed files.
Why this is correct
Bookmarks prevent reprocessing or missing files.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a staging table in Redshift with a transaction to commit.
Why it's wrong here
Adds complexity; not a direct diagnostic step.
✓
Review the job's CloudWatch Logs for any error messages.
Why this is correct
Logs may show partial failures.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume performance tuning (increasing DPUs) or database-level transactions (staging tables) can fix data ingestion gaps, when the actual problem is incomplete or inconsistent file discovery from the source (S3).
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Glue job bookmarks track processed files by recording the last modified timestamp or file path in a persistent state store, preventing re-processing of old data and ensuring new files are captured. However, bookmarks can fail if files are written with timestamps in the future or if the job encounters a partial read due to S3 list consistency delays. The COPY command with a manifest file bypasses this by explicitly listing each file, making the load deterministic and resilient to S3 eventual consistency issues.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: Use the Redshift COPY command with a manifest file to load data. — Option A is correct because using the Redshift COPY command with a manifest file ensures that only the exact files listed in the manifest are loaded, eliminating the risk of partial or duplicate reads from S3. This is a common pattern to guarantee data consistency when the Glue job may not reliably track which files have been processed, especially in scenarios with concurrent writes or retries.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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