- A
AWS Snowball
Snowball allows physical transfer of data, bypassing network limitations.
- B
AWS Direct Connect
Why wrong: Direct Connect provides dedicated network, but may still be slow for 500 GB over limited bandwidth.
- C
Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why wrong: Accelerates network transfer but still depends on internet bandwidth.
- D
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why wrong: DMS is good for ongoing replication but initial load over limited bandwidth would be slow.
Question 540 of 1,786
DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
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 company needs to ingest data from an on-premises Oracle database into Amazon Redshift for analytics. The data volume is 500 GB and the network bandwidth is limited. Which AWS service should be used for the initial one-time data migration?
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
✓
AWS Snowball
AWS Snowball is the correct choice for the initial one-time migration of 500 GB of data from an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon Redshift when network bandwidth is limited. Snowball provides a physical storage device that bypasses network constraints entirely, allowing you to transfer large volumes of data securely and quickly by shipping the device to AWS for ingestion into Amazon S3, which can then be loaded into Redshift. This approach avoids the prolonged transfer times and potential bottlenecks associated with limited bandwidth, making it ideal for a one-time, large-scale data migration.
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.
- ✓
AWS Snowball
Why this is correct
Snowball allows physical transfer of data, bypassing network limitations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect provides dedicated network, but may still be slow for 500 GB over limited bandwidth.
- ✗
Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why it's wrong here
Accelerates network transfer but still depends on internet bandwidth.
- ✗
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
DMS is good for ongoing replication but initial load over limited bandwidth would be slow.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose AWS DMS (Option D) because it is a common database migration tool, but they overlook the explicit constraint of limited network bandwidth, which makes a physical appliance like Snowball the only practical solution for a one-time, large-volume migration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Snowball uses a ruggedized storage appliance with built-in encryption (AES-256) and tamper-resistant hardware to securely transfer data offline. The device is shipped to the customer, data is copied locally via a dedicated interface (e.g., NFS or the Snowball client), and then shipped back to AWS for ingestion into S3, from which Redshift can load the data using COPY commands. In real-world scenarios, Snowball is particularly effective for migrations exceeding 10 TB or when network bandwidth is below 100 Mbps, as it avoids the time and cost of prolonged network transfers.
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 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.
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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Data Ingestion and Transformation — study guide chapter
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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: AWS Snowball — AWS Snowball is the correct choice for the initial one-time migration of 500 GB of data from an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon Redshift when network bandwidth is limited. Snowball provides a physical storage device that bypasses network constraints entirely, allowing you to transfer large volumes of data securely and quickly by shipping the device to AWS for ingestion into Amazon S3, which can then be loaded into Redshift. This approach avoids the prolonged transfer times and potential bottlenecks associated with limited bandwidth, making it ideal for a one-time, large-scale data migration.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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