Question 301 of 1,755
Data EngineeringeasyMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

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 transform data in transit before storing it in Amazon S3? (Choose TWO.)

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

AWS Glue

AWS Glue is correct because it provides a serverless data integration service that can transform data in transit using its built-in transformation jobs (e.g., PySpark scripts) before writing the results to Amazon S3. This allows you to clean, enrich, or reshape streaming or batch data as it moves through the pipeline.

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 Glue

    Why this is correct

    Glue can process streaming data with streaming ETL jobs.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Amazon Redshift Spectrum

    Why it's wrong here

    Redshift Spectrum queries data in S3, does not transform in transit.

  • AWS Data Pipeline

    Why it's wrong here

    Data Pipeline moves data between sources, but not real-time transformation.

  • Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose

    Why this is correct

    Firehose can transform data using Lambda before delivery.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Amazon Athena

    Why it's wrong here

    Athena queries data at rest, not in transit.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse query engines (like Athena or Redshift Spectrum) with transformation services, forgetting that in-transit transformation requires processing before the data reaches its final storage location.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

AWS Glue uses Apache Spark under the hood, allowing you to define ETL jobs that can read from streaming sources (e.g., Kinesis Data Streams) or batch sources, apply transformations like filtering, mapping, or aggregations, and then write the transformed data to S3. Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose can invoke a Lambda function for lightweight, per-record transformations (e.g., converting JSON to Parquet) before delivering the data to S3, making it ideal for real-time streaming use cases. Both services operate on data while it is in motion, not after it has been stored.

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 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.

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage ClassMin DurationRetrievalUse Case
S3 StandardNoneImmediateFrequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA30 daysImmediateInfrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA30 daysImmediateNon-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-TieringNoneImmediate–hoursUnknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant90 daysMillisecondsArchive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible90 daysMinutes–hoursArchive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive180 daysHoursLong-term compliance archive

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

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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: AWS Glue — AWS Glue is correct because it provides a serverless data integration service that can transform data in transit using its built-in transformation jobs (e.g., PySpark scripts) before writing the results to Amazon S3. This allows you to clean, enrich, or reshape streaming or batch data as it moves through the pipeline.

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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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.