- A
Use the COPY command to load the entire bucket and rely on Redshift to deduplicate
Why wrong: Loading all data repeatedly is inefficient and does not scale.
- B
Use the COPY command with a manifest file that lists only the new S3 objects
A manifest file allows incremental loading by specifying only new files.
- C
Use Amazon Redshift Spectrum to query the S3 data directly without loading
Why wrong: Spectrum does not load data into Redshift tables.
- D
Use INSERT statements within a loop to load each new file
Why wrong: INSERT is row-based and slow for large datasets.
Question 1,750 of 1,786
DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 building a data pipeline that ingests data from Amazon S3 into Amazon Redshift. The data is in CSV format and includes a timestamp column. The pipeline should load only new data incrementally. Which approach is most efficient?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use the COPY command with a manifest file that lists only the new S3 objects
Option B is correct because using the COPY command with a manifest file allows you to explicitly list only the new S3 objects to be loaded, enabling incremental loading without scanning or loading the entire bucket. This approach is efficient as it avoids the overhead of deduplication or full-bucket scans, and it leverages Redshift's native high-speed parallel ingestion from S3.
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 COPY command to load the entire bucket and rely on Redshift to deduplicate
Why it's wrong here
Loading all data repeatedly is inefficient and does not scale.
- ✓
Use the COPY command with a manifest file that lists only the new S3 objects
Why this is correct
A manifest file allows incremental loading by specifying only new files.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Amazon Redshift Spectrum to query the S3 data directly without loading
Why it's wrong here
Spectrum does not load data into Redshift tables.
- ✗
Use INSERT statements within a loop to load each new file
Why it's wrong here
INSERT is row-based and slow for large datasets.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think Redshift Spectrum is a valid alternative for loading data, but Spectrum is designed for external querying, not for persistent loading into Redshift tables, which is the explicit requirement in the question.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The COPY command with a manifest file uses a JSON-formatted list of S3 object keys, allowing precise control over which files are loaded. Under the hood, Redshift distributes the load across its compute nodes, reading each file in parallel from S3 using the cluster's slice architecture. A real-world scenario where this matters is when dealing with thousands of small CSV files arriving continuously; the manifest approach avoids the overhead of listing the entire bucket (which can be slow with many objects) and prevents accidental reloading of already-processed files.
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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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 — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Data Ingestion and Transformation practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DEA-C01 questions
1,786 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DEA-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DEA-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Data Ingestion and Transformation practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Ingestion and Transformation.
Data Operations and Support practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Operations and Support.
Data Security and Governance practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Security and Governance.
Data Store Management practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Store Management.
DEA-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 fundamentals.
DEA-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 scenario.
DEA-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DEA-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
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 COPY command with a manifest file that lists only the new S3 objects — Option B is correct because using the COPY command with a manifest file allows you to explicitly list only the new S3 objects to be loaded, enabling incremental loading without scanning or loading the entire bucket. This approach is efficient as it avoids the overhead of deduplication or full-bucket scans, and it leverages Redshift's native high-speed parallel ingestion from S3.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More DEA-C01 practice questions
- A data pipeline uses Kinesis Data Firehose to deliver streaming data to an S3 bucket. The data volume spikes occasionall…
- An e-commerce company uses AWS Glue to run ETL jobs that transform clickstream data from Amazon S3. The job reads Parque…
- A data engineering team uses Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics for Apache Flink to process streaming data. They notice that…
- A company uses AWS Glue to process streaming data from Amazon Kinesis Data Streams. The job reads JSON records and write…
- A data engineer applies the above bucket policy to an S3 bucket containing sensitive data. The goal is to allow only enc…
- A company uses AWS Glue to catalog data in Amazon S3. The security team requires that all sensitive data be identified a…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.