The answer is to configure the AWS Glue job to retry on failure by setting the 'Max retries' parameter. This is correct because AWS Glue provides a built-in retry mechanism that automatically re-executes a failed job from the beginning when transient errors—such as write timeout errors when writing to Amazon S3—occur, without requiring any custom infrastructure. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty MLS-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of native AWS Glue fault-tolerance features versus over-engineered solutions; a common trap is to propose CloudWatch alarms or SQS queues for retries, but Glue’s own parameter handles this directly. Remember the memory tip: “Glue sticks to its own retries—no queues or alarms needed for transient S3 timeouts.”
MLS-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question
This MLS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data engineering. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 is using AWS Glue to run ETL jobs that process data from Amazon RDS to Amazon S3. The ETL jobs are failing intermittently with write timeout errors when writing to S3. The company wants to implement a retry mechanism for transient errors. What should the company do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure the AWS Glue job to retry on failure by setting the 'Max retries' parameter
Option D is correct because configuring job retry in AWS Glue automatically retries failed jobs. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch alarms do not retry. Option B is wrong because SQS is not integrated with Glue jobs. Option C is wrong because increasing EBS volume does not address S3 write errors.
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.
✓
Configure the AWS Glue job to retry on failure by setting the 'Max retries' parameter
Why this is correct
Glue jobs can automatically retry up to a specified number of times.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the size of the Amazon EBS volumes attached to the Glue job
Why it's wrong here
EBS size does not affect S3 write timeouts.
✗
Use Amazon CloudWatch to monitor the job and manually restart on failure
Why it's wrong here
Manual restart is not an automated retry mechanism.
✗
Place the failed job messages in an Amazon SQS queue and reprocess them
Why it's wrong here
SQS is not directly used for Glue job retries.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which MLS-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 Engineering — This question tests Data Engineering — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the AWS Glue job to retry on failure by setting the 'Max retries' parameter — Option D is correct because configuring job retry in AWS Glue automatically retries failed jobs. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch alarms do not retry. Option B is wrong because SQS is not integrated with Glue jobs. Option C is wrong because increasing EBS volume does not address S3 write errors.
What should I do if I get this MLS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which MLS-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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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