- A
Amazon FSx for HDFS
Why wrong: FSx for HDFS is expensive compared to S3 and not necessary for this use case.
- B
Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
S3 is highly scalable, durable, and can be queried by Redshift Spectrum and processed by EMR.
- C
Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS)
Why wrong: EBS volumes are attached to a single instance and not cost-effective for large datasets.
- D
Amazon Elastic File System (EFS)
Why wrong: EFS is a file system for Linux instances, not optimal for large-scale data lakes.
Question 1,378 of 1,786
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. 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 company is migrating an on-premises Hadoop cluster to AWS. The data is stored in HDFS and needs to be accessible by both Amazon EMR and Amazon Redshift Spectrum. Which storage solution is most cost-effective and scalable?
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
✓
Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
Amazon S3 is the most cost-effective and scalable storage solution for this use case because it provides native integration with both Amazon EMR (via S3A connector or EMRFS) and Amazon Redshift Spectrum (via external tables). Unlike HDFS, S3 decouples compute from storage, allowing you to pay only for the data stored and the compute resources used, with virtually unlimited scalability and 99.999999999% durability.
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.
- ✗
Amazon FSx for HDFS
Why it's wrong here
FSx for HDFS is expensive compared to S3 and not necessary for this use case.
- ✓
Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
Why this is correct
S3 is highly scalable, durable, and can be queried by Redshift Spectrum and processed by EMR.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS)
Why it's wrong here
EBS volumes are attached to a single instance and not cost-effective for large datasets.
- ✗
Amazon Elastic File System (EFS)
Why it's wrong here
EFS is a file system for Linux instances, not optimal for large-scale data lakes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Amazon FSx for HDFS because it seems like a direct lift-and-shift of the on-premises Hadoop setup, but they fail to recognize that S3 is the recommended and more cost-effective solution for decoupled storage in AWS big data architectures.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Amazon S3 uses a flat namespace with object keys and supports S3 Select and S3 Glacier retrieval for cost optimization, while EMRFS provides strong consistency for S3 objects by using DynamoDB for metadata tracking. Redshift Spectrum leverages S3's server-side encryption and partitioning to push down filter predicates, reducing data scanned and costs. A real-world scenario where this matters is when you need to run transient EMR clusters that spin up only for processing, then terminate, while Redshift Spectrum queries the same S3 data directly without needing to load it into Redshift tables.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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 Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) — Amazon S3 is the most cost-effective and scalable storage solution for this use case because it provides native integration with both Amazon EMR (via S3A connector or EMRFS) and Amazon Redshift Spectrum (via external tables). Unlike HDFS, S3 decouples compute from storage, allowing you to pay only for the data stored and the compute resources used, with virtually unlimited scalability and 99.999999999% durability.
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 →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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