Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Snowball Edge, the correct choice for transferring large data to S3 with Snowball when network bandwidth is insufficient. With 50 TB of data and a 100 Mbps connection, a standard transfer would take over 46 days—far exceeding the two-week deadline—so a physical device like Snowball Edge bypasses network limitations entirely by shipping the data directly to AWS. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of when to use offline migration versus online tools; a common trap is choosing AWS DataSync, which still relies on the network and would be too slow for this volume and timeframe. Remember the key threshold: for transfers over 10 TB or with slow connections, think Snowball. A simple memory tip is “Snowball for the big haul, DataSync for the small call.”
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 needs to transfer 50 TB of historical data from an on-premises Hadoop cluster to Amazon S3. The company has a slow internet connection (100 Mbps). The data must be transferred within 2 weeks. Which service should the engineer recommend?
AWS DataSync
Why wrong: DataSync uses network; 100 Mbps is too slow for 50 TB in 2 weeks.
AWS Snowball Edge
Snowball Edge physically transfers data, bypassing network limitations.
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why wrong: Firehose is for streaming, not batch transfer of historical data.
AWS Glue ETL job with JDBC connection to Hadoop
Why wrong: Glue is for ETL, not bulk data transfer; network bottleneck remains.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Snowball Edge
The correct answer is AWS Snowball Edge, a physical device for large data transfers over slow networks. 50 TB at 100 Mbps would take over 46 days, exceeding the 2-week deadline. Option A (AWS DataSync) uses the network and would be too slow. Option B (AWS Glue) is for ETL, not transfer. Option D (Amazon Kinesis) is for 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.
AWS DataSync
Why it's wrong here
DataSync uses network; 100 Mbps is too slow for 50 TB in 2 weeks.
AWS Snowball Edge
Why this is correct
Snowball Edge physically transfers data, bypassing network limitations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why it's wrong here
Firehose is for streaming, not batch transfer of historical data.
AWS Glue ETL job with JDBC connection to Hadoop
Why it's wrong here
Glue is for ETL, not bulk data transfer; network bottleneck remains.
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: AWS Snowball Edge — The correct answer is AWS Snowball Edge, a physical device for large data transfers over slow networks. 50 TB at 100 Mbps would take over 46 days, exceeding the 2-week deadline. Option A (AWS DataSync) uses the network and would be too slow. Option B (AWS Glue) is for ETL, not transfer. Option D (Amazon Kinesis) is for 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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A data engineer needs to transfer 50 TB of historical data from an on-premises HDFS cluster to Amazon S3. The on-premises network has a 1 Gbps link to AWS. The transfer must complete within 5 days. Which solution is MOST cost-effective and meets the requirements?
mediumWhy C: Option C is correct because AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device that can transfer large amounts of data faster than a network link, especially with a 1 Gbps link that would take about 4.6 days for 50 TB (theoretical max, but actual throughput will be lower due to overhead). Snowball Edge can transfer 50 TB in a few days and is cost-effective for large data volumes. Option A (AWS DataSync) is efficient for online transfers but may not meet the 5-day deadline over 1 Gbps. Option B (Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration) speeds up transfers but still limited by network bandwidth. Option D (AWS Direct Connect) would require additional setup and cost, and still limited by the 1 Gbps link.
Variation 2. A data engineer needs to transfer 50 TB of historical data from an on-premises HDFS cluster to Amazon S3. The network bandwidth is limited to 100 Mbps. The transfer must be completed within one week. Which service should be used?
easyWhy B: AWS Snowball is the correct choice because transferring 50 TB over a 100 Mbps network would take approximately 46 days (50 TB * 8 bits/byte / 100 Mbps / 86400 seconds/day), far exceeding the one-week deadline. Snowball provides a physical storage device that can be shipped to the on-premises location, allowing data to be loaded locally and shipped to AWS, bypassing network bandwidth constraints entirely.
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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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