- A
AWS Lambda
Why wrong: Lambda is a compute service, not designed for multi-step orchestration.
- B
AWS Glue
Why wrong: Glue is for ETL, not orchestration, though it can be a step in a pipeline.
- C
Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow (MWAA)
MWAA is a managed orchestration service for data pipelines.
- D
AWS Step Functions
Step Functions orchestrates multiple AWS services.
- E
Amazon CloudWatch Events
Why wrong: CloudWatch Events triggers based on time or events, not complex workflows.
Question 1,442 of 1,755
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.
Which TWO AWS services can be used to schedule and orchestrate a data pipeline that includes multiple steps such as data extraction, transformation, and loading? (Choose 2.)
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
✓
Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow (MWAA)
Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow (MWAA) and AWS Step Functions are both designed for orchestrating multi-step workflows, including data pipelines with extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) steps. MWAA provides managed Apache Airflow, allowing you to define complex workflows as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) with scheduling, dependency management, and monitoring. Step Functions offers state machines with visual workflow design, conditional logic, error handling, and integration with over 200 AWS services. In contrast, AWS Lambda is ideal for serverless function execution but not for orchestrating multi-step processes with dependencies; AWS Glue is primarily an ETL service with basic job triggers and crawlers, lacking native DAG-based orchestration with conditions; Amazon CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) is for event-driven scheduling and does not support complex workflow orchestration with multiple steps and dependencies.
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.
- ✗
AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is a compute service, not designed for multi-step orchestration.
- ✗
AWS Glue
Why it's wrong here
Glue is for ETL, not orchestration, though it can be a step in a pipeline.
- ✓
Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow (MWAA)
Why this is correct
MWAA is a managed orchestration service for data pipelines.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
AWS Step Functions
Why this is correct
Step Functions orchestrates multiple AWS services.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon CloudWatch Events
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Events triggers based on time or events, not complex workflows.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Glue's built-in job triggers and crawlers as sufficient for orchestration, but Glue lacks native DAG-based workflow management with conditional logic and dependency resolution, which is why MWAA and Step Functions are the correct choices for multi-step pipeline orchestration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, MWAA runs Apache Airflow's scheduler and workers on managed infrastructure, using DAGs written in Python to define task dependencies, retries, and parallel execution. A real-world scenario is orchestrating a pipeline that extracts data from Amazon S3, transforms it with Spark on EMR, and loads it into Redshift, where Airflow's built-in operators (e.g., S3KeySensor, EMRStepSensor) handle sensor-based waiting and failure handling. The key subtlety is that Airflow uses a SQLite or PostgreSQL database for state persistence, enabling task retries and backfilling across historical runs.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this MLS-C01 question test?
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: Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow (MWAA) — Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow (MWAA) and AWS Step Functions are both designed for orchestrating multi-step workflows, including data pipelines with extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) steps. MWAA provides managed Apache Airflow, allowing you to define complex workflows as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) with scheduling, dependency management, and monitoring. Step Functions offers state machines with visual workflow design, conditional logic, error handling, and integration with over 200 AWS services. In contrast, AWS Lambda is ideal for serverless function execution but not for orchestrating multi-step processes with dependencies; AWS Glue is primarily an ETL service with basic job triggers and crawlers, lacking native DAG-based orchestration with conditions; Amazon CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) is for event-driven scheduling and does not support complex workflow orchestration with multiple steps and dependencies.
What should I do if I get this MLS-C01 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
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