DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"s3:GetObject",
"s3:PutObject"
],
"Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::my-data-lake/*"
},
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"glue:StartJobRun",
"glue:GetJobRun"
],
"Resource": "*"
}
]
}The exhibit shows an IAM policy attached to a role used by an AWS Glue ETL job. The job reads from an S3 bucket and writes to another S3 bucket. However, the job fails with an access denied error when trying to write to the output bucket. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
DEA-C01 often tests the misconception that a role with any S3 write permission can write to any bucket, when in fact IAM Resource ARNs are bucket-specific and a missing ARN produces an AccessDenied even when the action itself is granted.
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
✓
The policy only allows PutObject on the my-data-lake bucket, but the job writes to a different bucket
The IAM policy attached to the Glue job's role grants s3:PutObject only on the my-data-lake bucket ARN, but the ETL job's output path points to a different bucket. S3 authorization is evaluated per-resource ARN, so a PutObject call to any bucket not listed in the Resource element is implicitly denied. The fix is to add the output bucket's ARN (or a wildcard) to the policy's Resource list.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The policy is missing permissions for AWS KMS to decrypt/encrypt objects
Why it's wrong here
KMS permissions affect encryption and decryption of object data, not the S3 write authorisation itself; the access denied occurs because the policy lacks s3:PutObject on the output bucket. It is tempting because KMS key policy errors do produce access denied on SSE-KMS buckets, which is the right diagnosis when reads or writes fail only on encrypted objects.
- ✗
The policy does not allow glue:StartJobRun on the specific job
Why it's wrong here
glue:StartJobRun governs starting the job, not writing objects, so its absence cannot cause an access denied during the write phase; the missing action is s3:PutObject on the output bucket. It is tempting because IAM policies for Glue jobs do need Glue actions, which are required when the role itself launches runs.
- ✓
The policy only allows PutObject on the my-data-lake bucket, but the job writes to a different bucket
Why this is correct
IAM evaluates the role's policy against the actual resource ARN in the request. The statement permits s3:PutObject only on the my-data-lake bucket, so writing to the separate output bucket matches no Allow statement and is implicitly denied, producing the access denied error.
- ✗
The policy does not include s3:ListBucket permission
Why it's wrong here
Writing objects needs s3:PutObject on the output bucket; ListBucket governs enumeration only, so its absence cannot cause the write denial. It is tempting because ListBucket is commonly bundled with read access, and it would be the correct fix if the job failed while listing bucket contents.
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 |
Go deeper
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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.