DEA-C01 Serverless vs. Cluster-Based Practice Question
Which THREE factors should a data engineer consider when choosing between AWS Glue and Amazon EMR for a data transformation job? (Choose three.)
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 level of control over the execution environment and dependencies
When choosing between AWS Glue and Amazon EMR for a data transformation job, key considerations include: the level of control over the execution environment (EMR offers more customization, while Glue is managed), the deployment model (Glue is serverless, EMR is cluster-based), and the cost structure (Glue charges per DPU, EMR charges per EC2 instance). Options A and B are not differentiating factors because both services support Apache Spark and can output to S3.
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 ability to output results to Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
Both can output to S3.
- ✗
The support for Apache Spark
Why it's wrong here
Both support Spark.
- ✓
The level of control over the execution environment and dependencies
Why this is correct
EMR offers more control; Glue is less customizable.
- ✓
The need for a serverless vs. cluster-based environment
Why this is correct
Glue is serverless; EMR requires cluster management.
- ✓
The cost model: pay per DPU for Glue vs. per instance for EMR
Why this is correct
Pricing models differ significantly.
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.