SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating an on-premises data warehouse to Amazon Redshift. The data warehouse contains 50 TB of data and is used for complex analytical queries. The company wants to minimize the migration time and ensure the data is available for querying as soon as possible. Which approach should the company use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that AWS DMS is always the best tool for database migration, but for large one-time bulk transfers, physical devices like Snowball Edge are faster and more reliable.
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 AWS Snowball Edge to transfer the data to Amazon S3, then use the COPY command to load it into Amazon Redshift.
For large-scale data transfers, AWS Snowball Edge is the most efficient method to move data to AWS. Once the data is in Amazon S3, the COPY command in Amazon Redshift can load it in parallel, significantly reducing migration time. This approach is cost-effective and ensures the data is available for querying quickly.
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 AWS Snowball Edge to transfer the data to Amazon S3, then use the COPY command to load it into Amazon Redshift.
Why this is correct
AWS Snowball Edge is ideal for large data transfers, and loading into Redshift from S3 using the COPY command is the most efficient method. It parallelizes the load and minimizes migration time. This approach is cost-effective and scalable for 50 TB.
- ✗
Use AWS DataSync to transfer the data to Amazon EFS, then use AWS Glue to load it into Amazon Redshift.
Why it's wrong here
AWS DataSync to EFS is not a direct path to Redshift. Using AWS Glue adds extra steps and complexity. This approach would take longer and incur additional costs compared to using Snowball Edge and COPY. It is not the most efficient for bulk data warehouse migration.
- ✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) to replicate the data directly from the on-premises data warehouse to Amazon Redshift.
Why it's wrong here
AWS DMS can migrate data to Redshift, but for a 50 TB data warehouse, it may be slower than Snowball Edge due to network constraints. DMS is better for ongoing replication or smaller datasets. It also requires a continuous network connection, which may not be optimal for a one-time bulk migration.
- ✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to stream the data from on-premises to Amazon Redshift.
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis Data Firehose is designed for streaming data, not bulk migration of 50 TB. It would require significant transformation and would not be efficient for a one-time migration. It is also more complex and costly for this use case.
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 |
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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.