How to Convert JSON to Parquet in Kinesis Firehose Using Glue Data Catalog
A company uses a Kinesis Data Firehose delivery stream to load data into an S3 bucket. The data is in JSON format and must be converted to Parquet before landing in S3. Which steps are required to achieve this? (Choose THREE.)
Quick Answer
The correct answer involves three steps: setting the Firehose delivery stream’s schema mapping to reference the Glue table, enabling data format conversion in the Firehose console, and ensuring the Glue Data Catalog contains the target table with the Parquet schema. This works because Kinesis Data Firehose natively integrates with the AWS Glue Data Catalog to retrieve a schema definition, then performs server-side conversion from JSON to Parquet before writing to S3—no separate transformation code or additional services are needed. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of Firehose’s built-in format conversion feature and its dependency on the Glue Data Catalog, not on DynamoDB or Kinesis Data Analytics. A common trap is assuming you need a separate stream-processing engine like Kinesis Data Analytics, but Firehose handles the conversion directly when pointed at a Glue table. Memory tip: think “Firehose + Glue = Parquet in S3 without code.”
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates think DynamoDB is needed for schema storage or that Kinesis Data Analytics is required for the conversion, but Firehose's built-in Parquet conversion with Glue schema support is the correct and simpler approach.
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
✓
Configure the Firehose delivery stream to enable data format conversion to Parquet.
Kinesis Data Firehose natively supports converting incoming data from JSON to Parquet format. This conversion is enabled directly in the delivery stream configuration, eliminating the need for separate processing steps.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure the Firehose delivery stream to enable data format conversion to Parquet.
Why this is correct
Firehose has built-in conversion capability.
- ✓
Create a table in the AWS Glue Data Catalog with the schema.
Why this is correct
Firehose uses the Glue schema for Parquet conversion.
- ✗
Store the schema in Amazon DynamoDB.
Why it's wrong here
Firehose does not use DynamoDB for schema.
- ✓
Set the Firehose's schema mapping to reference the Glue table.
Why this is correct
Firehose needs to know which Glue table to use.
- ✗
Use Kinesis Data Analytics to convert the data.
Why it's wrong here
Data Analytics is for stream processing, not direct conversion.
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 |
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Variation 1. A company wants to ingest streaming data from IoT devices into Amazon S3 using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose. The data must be transformed from JSON to Parquet format before landing in S3. What is the SIMPLEST way to achieve this?
easy- ✓ A.Configure Kinesis Data Firehose with a built-in Parquet converter.
- B.Use an AWS Lambda function as a data transformation in Kinesis Data Firehose to convert JSON to Parquet.
- C.Use Kinesis Data Firehose to deliver data directly to S3 in JSON format and run a nightly Glue job to convert to Parquet.
- D.Use Kinesis Data Analytics to convert the data to Parquet before sending to Firehose.
Why A: Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose has a built-in Parquet conversion feature that uses an AWS Glue schema to convert incoming JSON data to Parquet format. This is the simplest approach because it requires no custom code or additional services; you only need to provide a schema and enable the conversion in the Firehose delivery stream configuration. Option B (using Lambda) is more complex, as it requires writing and maintaining a custom transformation function.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.