- A
AWS Lambda
Why wrong: Lambda can invoke Glue but requires its own scheduling.
- B
AWS Step Functions
Why wrong: Step Functions is for state machines, not simple schedule triggers.
- C
Amazon CloudWatch Events (EventBridge)
EventBridge can schedule cron jobs to trigger Glue.
- D
AWS Data Pipeline
Why wrong: Data Pipeline is for complex ETL orchestration, not simple scheduling.
Question 1,584 of 1,755
Scheduling AWS Glue ETL Jobs with Amazon EventBridge
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.
A data engineer needs to schedule an AWS Glue ETL job to run every hour. Which service should be used to trigger the job?
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 CloudWatch Events (EventBridge)
Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) is the correct service for scheduling AWS Glue ETL jobs on a recurring basis, such as every hour. It allows you to create a time-based rule using a cron or rate expression that triggers an AWS Glue job directly as a target, without needing additional compute or orchestration logic.
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 can invoke Glue but requires its own scheduling.
- ✗
AWS Step Functions
Why it's wrong here
Step Functions is for state machines, not simple schedule triggers.
- ✓
Amazon CloudWatch Events (EventBridge)
Why this is correct
EventBridge can schedule cron jobs to trigger Glue.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Data Pipeline
Why it's wrong here
Data Pipeline is for complex ETL orchestration, not simple scheduling.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Lambda as a scheduler because it can be triggered by CloudWatch Events, but the question asks for the service that triggers the job, not the service that runs the trigger logic; EventBridge is the native scheduling service, while Lambda is a compute target.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, EventBridge uses a cron expression (e.g., '0 * * * ? *' for every hour) or a rate expression (e.g., 'rate(1 hour)') to evaluate time-based rules. When the rule triggers, it invokes the specified target—here, an AWS Glue job—by passing a default event payload that includes the job name and optional parameters. A subtle behavior is that EventBridge rules are evaluated in UTC, so if your hourly schedule needs to align with a local timezone, you must adjust the cron expression accordingly.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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: Amazon CloudWatch Events (EventBridge) — Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) is the correct service for scheduling AWS Glue ETL jobs on a recurring basis, such as every hour. It allows you to create a time-based rule using a cron or rate expression that triggers an AWS Glue job directly as a target, without needing additional compute or orchestration logic.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on MLS-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A data engineer needs to schedule an AWS Glue ETL job to run every hour. The job reads from an Amazon DynamoDB table and writes to Amazon S3. Which AWS service should the engineer use to trigger the Glue job on schedule?
easy- A.Amazon Kinesis Data Streams
- B.AWS Step Functions
- ✓ C.Amazon EventBridge (CloudWatch Events)
- D.AWS Lambda
Why C: Option C is correct. Amazon EventBridge (formerly CloudWatch Events) can trigger AWS Glue jobs on a schedule using cron or rate expressions. Option A is incorrect because Amazon Kinesis Data Streams is for real-time streaming data, not scheduling. Option B is incorrect because AWS Step Functions is for orchestrating workflows, but scheduling is typically done via EventBridge. Option D is incorrect because AWS Lambda is a compute service, not a scheduler, though it can be used in conjunction with EventBridge to trigger Glue, but the direct scheduler is EventBridge.
Variation 2. A data engineer needs to schedule an AWS Glue ETL job to run every hour. Which service should they use for scheduling?
easy- A.AWS Lambda
- ✓ B.Amazon CloudWatch Events
- C.Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS)
- D.AWS Step Functions
Why B: Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can trigger an AWS Glue ETL job on a schedule using a cron or rate expression. This is the native, serverless scheduling service for running jobs at fixed intervals, such as every hour, without needing to manage any infrastructure.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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