The correct answer is to use AWS Glue ETL to read from DynamoDB and write to S3 as Parquet. This approach is optimal because Glue provides a fully managed, serverless ETL engine that can efficiently scan DynamoDB tables without impacting read capacity, and it writes data in Parquet—a columnar format that compresses well and is natively supported by Athena for fast, cost-effective queries. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty MLS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of data engineering patterns for analytics, often appearing as a scenario where you must choose the simplest, most scalable path for batch export. A common trap is selecting DynamoDB Streams with Lambda, which is better for real-time processing, not historical analytics. Remember the memory tip: “Glue the Parquet to Athena” to recall that Glue ETL is the recommended bridge for converting DynamoDB data into a query-optimized format.
MLS-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question
This MLS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data engineering. 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.
An e-commerce company uses Amazon DynamoDB as the primary data store for user sessions. They want to run analytics on historical session data using Amazon Athena. What is the recommended approach to export DynamoDB data to S3 in a format optimized for Athena?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS Glue ETL to read from DynamoDB and write to S3 as Parquet
AWS Glue ETL can read from DynamoDB and write to S3 in Parquet format, which is optimal for Athena. Option A is wrong because DynamoDB Streams to Lambda to S3 is complex and not optimal. Option B is wrong because Data Pipeline is legacy. Option D is wrong because 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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use AWS Data Pipeline to copy data to S3 as CSV
Why it's wrong here
Data Pipeline is older; Glue is more modern.
✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to stream data from DynamoDB to S3
Why it's wrong here
Firehose is for streaming, not bulk export from DynamoDB.
✗
Use DynamoDB Streams with AWS Lambda to write to S3 as JSON
Why it's wrong here
JSON is not optimal for Athena; streaming adds complexity.
✓
Use AWS Glue ETL to read from DynamoDB and write to S3 as Parquet
Why this is correct
Glue can efficiently export data and convert to columnar format.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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: Use AWS Glue ETL to read from DynamoDB and write to S3 as Parquet — AWS Glue ETL can read from DynamoDB and write to S3 in Parquet format, which is optimal for Athena. Option A is wrong because DynamoDB Streams to Lambda to S3 is complex and not optimal. Option B is wrong because Data Pipeline is legacy. Option D is wrong because Kinesis is for streaming.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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