Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics and AWS Lambda. Both services enable serverless streaming data transformation by processing data in motion without requiring you to provision or manage any persistent cluster. Kinesis Data Analytics uses SQL or Apache Flink to continuously transform and analyze streaming data directly from a Kinesis stream, while Lambda functions can be triggered by Kinesis or DynamoDB Streams to perform lightweight, real-time transformations on each record. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty MLS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between serverless streaming tools and batch-oriented or cluster-based services. A common trap is choosing AWS Glue, which is serverless but designed for batch ETL with higher latency, or Amazon EMR, which explicitly requires a persistent cluster. For a quick memory tip, remember that if a service needs you to spin up instances or manage a cluster, it is not serverless streaming—Lambda and Kinesis Data Analytics are the only two that process data in flight with zero infrastructure overhead.
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 transform data in a streaming fashion without using a persistent cluster? (Choose 2.)
AWS Glue
Why wrong: Glue streaming ETL still runs on a persistent cluster.
Amazon EMR
Why wrong: EMR requires a cluster of EC2 instances.
AWS Lambda
Lambda can process streaming data from Kinesis or DynamoDB Streams serverlessly.
Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics
Kinesis Data Analytics is a serverless service for real-time SQL transformations.
AWS Data Pipeline
Why wrong: Data Pipeline is a batch ETL service.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Lambda
Option A (Lambda) and Option D (Kinesis Data Analytics) are serverless streaming transformation services. Option B (Glue) is serverless but not low-latency streaming. Option C (EMR) requires a cluster. Option E (Data Pipeline) is for batch.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Glue
Why it's wrong here
Glue streaming ETL still runs on a persistent cluster.
Amazon EMR
Why it's wrong here
EMR requires a cluster of EC2 instances.
AWS Lambda
Why this is correct
Lambda can process streaming data from Kinesis or DynamoDB Streams serverlessly.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics
Why this is correct
Kinesis Data Analytics is a serverless service for real-time SQL transformations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Data Pipeline
Why it's wrong here
Data Pipeline is a batch ETL service.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
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.
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FAQ
Data Engineering — This question tests Data Engineering — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Lambda — Option A (Lambda) and Option D (Kinesis Data Analytics) are serverless streaming transformation services. Option B (Glue) is serverless but not low-latency streaming. Option C (EMR) requires a cluster. Option E (Data Pipeline) is for batch.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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