SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating a large-scale batch processing workload from on-premises to AWS. The workload runs on a schedule and processes data files from an FTP server. The company wants to use AWS services that are serverless and event-driven to reduce operational overhead. The data files will be uploaded to an Amazon S3 bucket. Which solution meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAP-C02 often tests the distinction between serverless and non-serverless services; candidates may incorrectly assume AWS Batch or EC2 are serverless.
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
✓
Use Amazon S3 Event Notifications to invoke an AWS Lambda function that processes the file
AWS Lambda is a serverless compute service that can be triggered by S3 event notifications, allowing immediate processing of uploaded files without managing servers. This meets the requirements for a serverless, event-driven solution with minimal operational overhead.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Amazon S3 Event Notifications to invoke an AWS Batch job that processes the file
Why it's wrong here
AWS Batch provisions compute resources, so the workload is not serverless; it also needs a job queue and compute environment rather than reacting purely to events. Batch suits large containerised jobs needing managed orchestration where operational overhead is acceptable.
- ✓
Use Amazon S3 Event Notifications to invoke an AWS Lambda function that processes the file
Why this is correct
S3 Event Notifications trigger AWS Lambda directly on each uploaded object, giving the event-driven, serverless processing the workload requires. This removes polling and server management, satisfying the reduced operational overhead constraint, while Lambda scales automatically with the scheduled batch arrivals.
- ✗
Use AWS Glue to crawl the S3 bucket and run an ETL job on a schedule
Why it's wrong here
Glue crawls and runs ETL on a schedule, which is time-driven rather than event-driven, and provisions DPUs. Glue is the right choice for cataloguing data and transforming it in scheduled ETL pipelines, not for reacting to each uploaded file.
- ✗
Use Amazon S3 Event Notifications to start an AWS Step Functions workflow that runs processing on Amazon EC2
Why it's wrong here
Running processing on Amazon EC2 introduces servers to patch and scale, contradicting the serverless requirement. Step Functions orchestration is apt for coordinating multi-step workflows, but its compute must be serverless, such as Lambda or Fargate tasks.
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 |
Go deeper
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Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on SAP-C02
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 company is migrating a batch processing workload to AWS. The workload runs on a schedule and processes large files stored on a network file system. The company wants to use a serverless architecture to reduce costs. Which combination of AWS services should the company use?
medium- A.AWS Step Functions, Amazon EMR, and Amazon EFS.
- B.Amazon CloudWatch Events, AWS Lambda, and Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose.
- ✓ C.AWS Step Functions, AWS Lambda, and Amazon S3.
- D.Amazon CloudWatch Events, Amazon EC2, and Amazon EBS.
Why C: AWS Step Functions can orchestrate the workflow, AWS Lambda can process files in a serverless manner, and Amazon S3 can store the large files. Option A is wrong because Amazon EMR is not a serverless service and EFS is a network file system, not ideal for serverless batch processing. Option B is wrong because Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose is designed for streaming data, not batch processing of large files. Option D is wrong because Amazon EC2 and EBS are not serverless.
Variation 2. A company is migrating a batch processing workload to AWS. The workload runs on a schedule and processes large files stored on a network file system. The company wants to use serverless services. Which TWO services should the company use? (Choose TWO.)
easy- A.Amazon EMR
- B.Amazon EC2
- ✓ C.Amazon S3
- D.Amazon EFS
- ✓ E.AWS Lambda
Why C: Amazon S3 [CORRECT] is the right choice for storing the large files because it is a fully managed, serverless object storage service that scales elastically and integrates natively with event-driven and batch processing pipelines. AWS Lambda [CORRECT] is also correct because it is a serverless compute service that can run the batch processing code on a schedule (via Amazon EventBridge Scheduler or cron triggers) without provisioning or managing servers. Together, S3 for durable file storage and Lambda for scheduled serverless processing satisfy the requirement to use serverless services for this batch workload. Amazon EMR is not serverless in the traditional sense (it provisions clusters of EC2 instances, though EMR Serverless exists, the option as stated is cluster-based) and is better suited for big data frameworks like Spark/Hadoop rather than a simple scheduled file-processing job. Amazon EC2 is explicitly not serverless since it requires managing virtual servers, and Amazon EFS, while a serverless-capable file system, is a storage service that does not provide the compute needed to process the files.
Variation 3. A company is migrating a batch processing workload to AWS. The workload runs a Java application that processes files from an S3 bucket. The company wants to minimize operational overhead. Which AWS service should the company use to run the Java application?
medium- A.Amazon EC2
- B.Amazon ECS with EC2 launch type
- C.AWS Batch
- ✓ D.AWS Lambda
Why D: (AWS Lambda) is correct because it allows running Java code in response to S3 events with no server management, minimizing operational overhead. AWS Lambda supports Java runtime, can be triggered by S3 object creation events, and automatically scales. Options A (Amazon EC2) and B (Amazon ECS with EC2 launch type) require managing EC2 instances or cluster, increasing overhead. Option C (AWS Batch) is designed for batch jobs but still requires compute environments (EC2 or Fargate) and is more complex than Lambda for simple file processing.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.