Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, as it is the single AWS service capable of handling both batch and streaming data ingestion into a data lake on Amazon S3. Kinesis Data Firehose natively ingests streaming data in real time, but it also supports batch delivery by allowing you to buffer incoming records and send them to S3 in configurable-sized batches, effectively bridging the gap between continuous streams and periodic loads. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of ingestion services and their boundaries—a common trap is assuming AWS Glue handles streaming (it is batch-only for ETL) or confusing Athena’s query capability with ingestion. The key memory tip is to remember that Firehose is the “fire hose” that can spray data either as a steady stream or in timed bursts, making it the unified choice for mixed ingestion patterns.
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 lake on Amazon S3. The data ingestion pipeline must handle both batch and streaming data. The engineer wants to use a single service to ingest both types of data. Which service should the engineer choose?
Amazon Athena
Why wrong: Athena is a query service.
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Firehose can ingest streaming data and deliver to S3 in near real-time; batch data can be sent via Firehose API.
S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why wrong: Transfer Acceleration only speeds up uploads.
AWS Glue
Why wrong: Glue is batch-only.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Option A is correct because Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose can ingest streaming data and can also be used for batch delivery by putting records in batches. Option B is wrong because AWS Glue is batch-only. Option C is wrong because Amazon Athena queries data, not ingests. Option D is wrong because S3 Transfer Acceleration speeds up uploads but does not handle streaming.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon Athena
Why it's wrong here
Athena is a query service.
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why this is correct
Firehose can ingest streaming data and deliver to S3 in near real-time; batch data can be sent via Firehose API.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration only speeds up uploads.
AWS Glue
Why it's wrong here
Glue is batch-only.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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 — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Data Ingestion and Transformation — This question tests Data Ingestion and Transformation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose — Option A is correct because Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose can ingest streaming data and can also be used for batch delivery by putting records in batches. Option B is wrong because AWS Glue is batch-only. Option C is wrong because Amazon Athena queries data, not ingests. Option D is wrong because S3 Transfer Acceleration speeds up uploads but does not handle streaming.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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