The answer is to configure the S3 event notification for the s3:ObjectCreated:Put event type. This is correct because the default s3:ObjectCreated:* wildcard fires on every object creation event, including when a multipart upload is initiated, not when it completes. By specifically listening for s3:ObjectCreated:Put, the Lambda function is triggered only after the entire 100 GB file has been fully assembled and written to S3, avoiding the timeout caused by the premature event. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this tests your understanding of S3 event notification granularity and the distinction between multipart upload lifecycle events—a common trap is to increase the Lambda timeout or add orchestration layers without addressing the root cause. Remember the memory tip: "Put is complete, star is premature"—when dealing with multipart uploads, always filter for the Put suffix to ensure the object is fully written before triggering downstream processing.
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 media company ingests large video files (up to 100 GB each) from content creators via Amazon S3 multipart uploads. After upload, the company needs to transcode the videos into multiple formats using AWS Elemental MediaConvert. The current pipeline uses S3 event notifications to trigger an AWS Lambda function that starts a MediaConvert job. However, for very large files, the Lambda function times out (15-minute limit) before the upload completes because the event is sent when the multipart upload is initiated, not when it completes. How should the engineer fix this issue?
Why wrong: Lambda max timeout is 15 minutes; even if increased, the event fires at initiation, not completion.
B
Use Amazon SQS to queue the event and have a Lambda function process it later.
Why wrong: SQS does not solve the issue of the event firing before upload completion.
C
Use AWS Step Functions to poll the S3 bucket for object existence and then start MediaConvert.
Why wrong: Polling is inefficient and may cause delays; Step Functions adds cost.
D
Change the S3 event notification to listen for s3:ObjectCreated:Put events instead of s3:ObjectCreated:*, which fires only after the object is fully written.
s3:ObjectCreated:Put triggers only when the object is complete, avoiding early invocation.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the S3 event notification to listen for s3:ObjectCreated:Put events instead of s3:ObjectCreated:*, which fires only after the object is fully written.
Option D is correct: Use S3 event notifications for s3:ObjectCreated:Put, which triggers only after the object is completely written. Then Lambda can start MediaConvert. Option A (increase timeout) does not solve the root cause. Option B (Step Functions) adds complexity. Option C (SQS) does not address the event timing.
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.
✗
Increase the Lambda timeout to 30 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda max timeout is 15 minutes; even if increased, the event fires at initiation, not completion.
✗
Use Amazon SQS to queue the event and have a Lambda function process it later.
Why it's wrong here
SQS does not solve the issue of the event firing before upload completion.
✗
Use AWS Step Functions to poll the S3 bucket for object existence and then start MediaConvert.
Why it's wrong here
Polling is inefficient and may cause delays; Step Functions adds cost.
✓
Change the S3 event notification to listen for s3:ObjectCreated:Put events instead of s3:ObjectCreated:*, which fires only after the object is fully written.
Why this is correct
s3:ObjectCreated:Put triggers only when the object is complete, avoiding early invocation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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: Change the S3 event notification to listen for s3:ObjectCreated:Put events instead of s3:ObjectCreated:*, which fires only after the object is fully written. — Option D is correct: Use S3 event notifications for s3:ObjectCreated:Put, which triggers only after the object is completely written. Then Lambda can start MediaConvert. Option A (increase timeout) does not solve the root cause. Option B (Step Functions) adds complexity. Option C (SQS) does not address the event timing.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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