- A
Use AWS Step Functions to orchestrate an API call and data transformation with Lambda, running every 15 minutes.
Why wrong: Step Functions adds overhead for simple scheduling.
- B
Use Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger an AWS Lambda function every 15 minutes. The Lambda function calls the API, transforms the data, and writes individual JSON objects to S3 with the required partition structure.
Simple and cost-effective for periodic API polling.
- C
Use AWS Glue ETL jobs scheduled with AWS Glue triggers to run every 15 minutes.
Why wrong: Glue jobs have startup latency and higher cost.
- D
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose with a Lambda function for transformation. Configure Firehose to pull from the API every 15 minutes.
Why wrong: Firehose does not support pulling from REST APIs.
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 designing a data ingestion pipeline for a social media company. The pipeline ingests user posts from a REST API into Amazon S3. The API returns JSON data with an array of posts. The engineer needs to transform the data into individual JSON objects per post and store them in S3 with a partition structure of year/month/day/hour. The data should be available in S3 within 15 minutes of ingestion. The engineer decides to use AWS Lambda for transformation. Which combination of services should the engineer use to meet these requirements with minimal operational overhead?
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 Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger an AWS Lambda function every 15 minutes. The Lambda function calls the API, transforms the data, and writes individual JSON objects to S3 with the required partition structure.
Option B is correct because using Amazon CloudWatch Events (or EventBridge) to trigger an AWS Lambda function every 15 minutes provides a simple, serverless solution with minimal operational overhead. The Lambda function can call the REST API, transform the array of posts into individual JSON objects, and write them to S3 with the partition structure year/month/day/hour. This meets the 15-minute latency requirement without managing infrastructure. Option A (AWS Step Functions) adds unnecessary orchestration complexity for a simple scheduled task. Option C (AWS Glue ETL) is too heavyweight for this lightweight transformation and incurs additional cost and setup. Option D (Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose) is designed for streaming data, not periodic batch API calls; it cannot pull from an API on a schedule without custom logic, making it less suitable.
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 AWS Step Functions to orchestrate an API call and data transformation with Lambda, running every 15 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
Step Functions adds overhead for simple scheduling.
- ✓
Use Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger an AWS Lambda function every 15 minutes. The Lambda function calls the API, transforms the data, and writes individual JSON objects to S3 with the required partition structure.
Why this is correct
Simple and cost-effective for periodic API polling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use AWS Glue ETL jobs scheduled with AWS Glue triggers to run every 15 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
Glue jobs have startup latency and higher cost.
- ✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose with a Lambda function for transformation. Configure Firehose to pull from the API every 15 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
Firehose does not support pulling from REST APIs.
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 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.
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.
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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: Use Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger an AWS Lambda function every 15 minutes. The Lambda function calls the API, transforms the data, and writes individual JSON objects to S3 with the required partition structure. — Option B is correct because using Amazon CloudWatch Events (or EventBridge) to trigger an AWS Lambda function every 15 minutes provides a simple, serverless solution with minimal operational overhead. The Lambda function can call the REST API, transform the array of posts into individual JSON objects, and write them to S3 with the partition structure year/month/day/hour. This meets the 15-minute latency requirement without managing infrastructure. Option A (AWS Step Functions) adds unnecessary orchestration complexity for a simple scheduled task. Option C (AWS Glue ETL) is too heavyweight for this lightweight transformation and incurs additional cost and setup. Option D (Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose) is designed for streaming data, not periodic batch API calls; it cannot pull from an API on a schedule without custom logic, making it less suitable.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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