MLS-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question
A data engineer needs to design a data pipeline that ingests CSV files from an SFTP server daily, transforms them, and loads them into Amazon Redshift. The files are typically 2-3 GB. Which combination of AWS services is MOST appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume AWS Glue or Lambda can handle SFTP directly, but they lack native SFTP support and are not designed for large file transfers, while AWS Transfer Family is purpose-built for this exact use case.
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
✓
Use AWS Transfer Family to automate SFTP file retrieval to S3, then use Redshift COPY to load data.
The most appropriate because AWS Transfer Family provides a fully managed, serverless solution for automating SFTP file retrieval directly into Amazon S3. Once the CSV files are in S3, the Redshift COPY command can efficiently load the 2-3 GB files using parallel processing, which is far more performant and cost-effective than alternatives like Lambda or Glue for large file sizes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use AWS Glue ETL with a JDBC connection to the SFTP server to read files directly.
Why it's wrong here
Glue does not natively support SFTP as a data source; JDBC is for databases, not file transfers.
- ✗
Use AWS Lambda to download the files from SFTP, transform them in memory, and write to Redshift using the Data API.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda has execution time and memory limits; large files would cause timeouts.
- ✓
Use AWS Transfer Family to automate SFTP file retrieval to S3, then use Redshift COPY to load data.
Why this is correct
Transfer Family handles SFTP natively, and COPY loads data efficiently into Redshift.
- ✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose with an HTTP endpoint source to receive files from SFTP.
Why it's wrong here
Firehose is designed for streaming data, not for receiving large files via SFTP.
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 MLS-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 MLS-C01 exam.