- A
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","dynamodb:PutItem"],"Resource":"*"}
Correct actions for reading from S3 and writing to DynamoDB.
- B
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:PutObject","dynamodb:PutItem"],"Resource":"*"}
Why wrong: S3 PutObject is not needed; need GetObject.
- C
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","dynamodb:UpdateItem"],"Resource":"*"}
Why wrong: UpdateItem not appropriate for new items; PutItem is correct.
- D
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","dynamodb:GetItem"],"Resource":"*"}
Why wrong: Missing DynamoDB PutItem action.
Question 627 of 1,616
IAM Policy for Lambda to Read S3 and Write to DynamoDB
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. 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 developer is building a serverless application using AWS Lambda to process files uploaded to an S3 bucket. The Lambda function needs to read the uploaded file, transform it, and write the result to a DynamoDB table. Which IAM policy statement should be attached to the Lambda execution role?
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
✓
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","dynamodb:PutItem"],"Resource":"*"}
The Lambda function needs to read the uploaded file from S3 (requiring s3:GetObject) and write the transformed result to DynamoDB (requiring dynamodb:PutItem). Option A correctly grants both actions with a wildcard resource, which is acceptable for a learning scenario but should be scoped in production. This matches the exact permissions needed for the described workflow.
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.
- ✓
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","dynamodb:PutItem"],"Resource":"*"}
Why this is correct
Correct actions for reading from S3 and writing to DynamoDB.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:PutObject","dynamodb:PutItem"],"Resource":"*"}
Why it's wrong here
S3 PutObject is not needed; need GetObject.
- ✗
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","dynamodb:UpdateItem"],"Resource":"*"}
Why it's wrong here
UpdateItem not appropriate for new items; PutItem is correct.
- ✗
{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","dynamodb:GetItem"],"Resource":"*"}
Why it's wrong here
Missing DynamoDB PutItem action.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing the direction of data flow: candidates mistakenly choose write permissions for S3 (s3:PutObject) or read permissions for DynamoDB (dynamodb:GetItem), failing to map the correct action to each service based on whether data is being read from or written to that service.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, S3 events invoke Lambda with an event payload containing the bucket name and object key; the Lambda SDK then calls GetObject to stream the file into memory. DynamoDB PutItem performs an upsert — it creates a new item or replaces an existing one with the same primary key — which is appropriate for a transformation output. In a real-world scenario, you would scope the resource ARN to the specific S3 bucket and DynamoDB table to follow least privilege, but the exam often uses wildcard resources for brevity.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
Development with AWS Services — This question tests Development with AWS Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: {"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","dynamodb:PutItem"],"Resource":"*"} — The Lambda function needs to read the uploaded file from S3 (requiring s3:GetObject) and write the transformed result to DynamoDB (requiring dynamodb:PutItem). Option A correctly grants both actions with a wildcard resource, which is acceptable for a learning scenario but should be scoped in production. This matches the exact permissions needed for the described workflow.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 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
This DVA-C02 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 DVA-C02 exam.
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