- A
The S3 bucket has a lifecycle policy that is deleting objects too quickly
Why wrong: Lifecycle policies do not cause AccessDenied errors.
- B
The IAM role assumed by Firehose does not have the s3:PutObject permission
Firehose requires the IAM role to have S3 write permissions.
- C
The S3 bucket has default encryption enabled
Why wrong: Default encryption does not cause AccessDenied errors.
- D
The S3 bucket uses an AWS KMS key for encryption and Firehose does not have kms:Decrypt permission
Why wrong: Would cause KMS errors, not AccessDenied.
Question 393 of 1,786
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 a Kinesis Data Firehose delivery stream that is experiencing high error rates when writing to an S3 bucket. The error logs indicate 'AccessDenied' errors. The S3 bucket policy allows access from the Firehose service, but the errors persist. 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 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
✓
The IAM role assumed by Firehose does not have the s3:PutObject permission
The most likely cause is that the IAM role assumed by Kinesis Data Firehose lacks the `s3:PutObject` permission. Even if the S3 bucket policy allows access from the Firehose service, the IAM role must explicitly grant the necessary S3 write permissions for Firehose to deliver data. Without this permission, Firehose receives 'AccessDenied' errors when attempting to write objects to the bucket.
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 S3 bucket has a lifecycle policy that is deleting objects too quickly
Why it's wrong here
Lifecycle policies do not cause AccessDenied errors.
- ✓
The IAM role assumed by Firehose does not have the s3:PutObject permission
Why this is correct
Firehose requires the IAM role to have S3 write permissions.
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 S3 bucket has default encryption enabled
Why it's wrong here
Default encryption does not cause AccessDenied errors.
- ✗
The S3 bucket uses an AWS KMS key for encryption and Firehose does not have kms:Decrypt permission
Why it's wrong here
Would cause KMS errors, not AccessDenied.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume a bucket policy allowing Firehose access is sufficient, but the IAM role assumed by Firehose must also explicitly grant the write permissions, as AWS evaluates both identity-based and resource-based policies.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Kinesis Data Firehose uses a service-linked IAM role to write to S3; this role must include `s3:PutObject` and `s3:PutObjectAcl` (if bucket policies require ACLs) on the target bucket and prefix. A common subtlety is that the bucket policy may have a `Principal` condition that does not match the Firehose service principal or the assumed role ARN, but the IAM role permission is the primary check. In real-world scenarios, cross-account delivery often fails because the IAM role lacks explicit S3 write permissions, even when the bucket policy appears permissive.
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.
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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: The IAM role assumed by Firehose does not have the s3:PutObject permission — The most likely cause is that the IAM role assumed by Kinesis Data Firehose lacks the `s3:PutObject` permission. Even if the S3 bucket policy allows access from the Firehose service, the IAM role must explicitly grant the necessary S3 write permissions for Firehose to deliver data. Without this permission, Firehose receives 'AccessDenied' errors when attempting to write objects to the bucket.
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.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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