The answer is AWS Glue Data Catalog and Amazon S3 server-side encryption (SSE). The Glue Data Catalog is essential because it stores the table metadata and schema definitions for the varying source schemas, enabling AWS Glue ETL jobs to discover, transform, and partition data by date automatically during processing. Amazon S3 SSE provides at-rest encryption for the data stored in S3, which serves as the intermediate staging layer for Glue ETL jobs before loading into Redshift, meeting the encryption requirement without custom code. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of how Glue’s catalog handles schema evolution and partitioning, while S3 SSE fulfills the security mandate—a common trap is to overcomplicate with KMS or client-side encryption when SSE-S3 is sufficient for at-rest protection. Remember the pairing: Glue Catalog for schema and partition management, S3 SSE for encryption—think “Catalog for structure, SSE for security.”
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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 company is designing a new data processing pipeline that uses AWS Glue to run ETL jobs. The pipeline must process data from multiple sources with varying schemas and load the results into Amazon Redshift. The data must be partitioned by date and encrypted at rest. Which TWO AWS services or features should the company use to meet these requirements? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon S3 server-side encryption
Amazon S3 server-side encryption (SSE) is correct because it provides at-rest encryption for data stored in S3, which is the intermediate storage for AWS Glue ETL jobs. This ensures that all data processed by Glue and loaded into Redshift is encrypted at rest, meeting the security requirement without additional application-level changes.
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.
✓
Amazon S3 server-side encryption
Why this is correct
S3 SSE provides encryption at rest for data stored in S3.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for database migration, not for ETL with varying schemas.
✗
Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis Data Analytics is for real-time analysis, not ETL loading to Redshift.
✗
Amazon Athena
Why it's wrong here
Athena is an interactive query service, not for encryption.
✓
AWS Glue Data Catalog
Why this is correct
Glue Data Catalog stores table definitions and partition metadata.
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 might confuse AWS Glue Data Catalog with a storage service or think that Athena or Kinesis can replace Glue for batch ETL, but the Data Catalog is essential for schema management and partitioning, while Athena and Kinesis serve different purposes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Glue integrates with the Glue Data Catalog to store metadata about source schemas, partitions, and transformations, enabling schema discovery and evolution across multiple sources. S3 SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS can be configured at the bucket level to encrypt objects automatically, and Glue jobs can write encrypted output to S3 without additional code. When loading into Redshift, the COPY command can read encrypted data from S3 using the appropriate key, ensuring end-to-end encryption.
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.
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.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon S3 server-side encryption — Amazon S3 server-side encryption (SSE) is correct because it provides at-rest encryption for data stored in S3, which is the intermediate storage for AWS Glue ETL jobs. This ensures that all data processed by Glue and loaded into Redshift is encrypted at rest, meeting the security requirement without additional application-level changes.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 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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Question Discussion
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