- A
Configure the S3 bucket to send an event notification directly to the Step Functions state machine.
Why wrong: S3 cannot directly invoke Step Functions; it can send to SNS, SQS, or Lambda.
- B
Use S3 event notifications to send a message to an Amazon SQS queue, and have a Lambda function poll the queue to start the execution.
Why wrong: This adds complexity and latency; a simpler event-driven approach is available.
- C
Use a CloudWatch Logs metric filter to trigger the Step Functions execution.
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs metric filters do not trigger Step Functions directly.
- D
Configure the S3 bucket to send events to Amazon EventBridge, and create an EventBridge rule that targets the Step Functions state machine.
EventBridge can directly invoke Step Functions based on S3 events, providing a simple serverless trigger.
MLA-C01 Practice Question: A team is using AWS Step Functions to orchestrate…
This MLA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of mla-c01 exam topics. 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 team is using AWS Step Functions to orchestrate a machine learning workflow that includes data preprocessing, training, and model evaluation. The team wants to run the workflow whenever new data arrives in an S3 bucket. Which approach should they use to trigger the Step Functions workflow?
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
Configure the S3 bucket to send events to Amazon EventBridge, and create an EventBridge rule that targets the Step Functions state machine.
Option D is correct because Amazon S3 can send event notifications directly to Amazon EventBridge, and EventBridge rules can target AWS Step Functions state machines as a target. This provides a fully managed, serverless integration that allows the Step Functions workflow to be triggered automatically whenever new data arrives in the S3 bucket, without needing intermediate polling or custom code.
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.
- ✗
Configure the S3 bucket to send an event notification directly to the Step Functions state machine.
Why it's wrong here
S3 cannot directly invoke Step Functions; it can send to SNS, SQS, or Lambda.
- ✗
Use S3 event notifications to send a message to an Amazon SQS queue, and have a Lambda function poll the queue to start the execution.
Why it's wrong here
This adds complexity and latency; a simpler event-driven approach is available.
- ✗
Use a CloudWatch Logs metric filter to trigger the Step Functions execution.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs metric filters do not trigger Step Functions directly.
- ✓
Configure the S3 bucket to send events to Amazon EventBridge, and create an EventBridge rule that targets the Step Functions state machine.
Why this is correct
EventBridge can directly invoke Step Functions based on S3 events, providing a simple serverless trigger.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume S3 can directly invoke Step Functions (Option A) because they know S3 can trigger Lambda, but they overlook that Step Functions is not a supported direct destination for S3 event notifications.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, S3 sends events to EventBridge in the AWS service event bus, and EventBridge rules evaluate these events against defined patterns. When a rule matches an S3 object created event, it can invoke a Step Functions state machine via the StartExecution API, passing the event payload as input. This integration supports filtering by bucket name, prefix, and suffix, enabling precise triggering without custom code. In real-world scenarios, this pattern is preferred for high-throughput data pipelines because EventBridge can handle thousands of events per second and provides built-in retry and dead-letter queue support.
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 Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this MLA-C01 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the S3 bucket to send events to Amazon EventBridge, and create an EventBridge rule that targets the Step Functions state machine. — Option D is correct because Amazon S3 can send event notifications directly to Amazon EventBridge, and EventBridge rules can target AWS Step Functions state machines as a target. This provides a fully managed, serverless integration that allows the Step Functions workflow to be triggered automatically whenever new data arrives in the S3 bucket, without needing intermediate polling or custom code.
What should I do if I get this MLA-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: Jun 24, 2026
This MLA-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 MLA-C01 exam.
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