DA0-002 Data Acquisition and Preparation Practice Question
A data engineer is tasked with acquiring data from a third-party vendor that provides daily file drops via SFTP. The files are large (10 GB each). The pipeline must load data into a data warehouse. Which approach optimizes for speed and reliability?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume 'download then load' (Option A) is the most reliable approach, but the question specifically asks for speed and reliability, and streaming avoids the I/O bottleneck and single-point-of-failure of a staging server.
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
✓
Stream the file directly from SFTP into warehouse using a data pipeline tool
Streaming the file directly from SFTP into the warehouse using a data pipeline tool (e.g., Apache NiFi, Airbyte, or Fivetran) eliminates the intermediate staging step, reducing disk I/O and latency. This approach leverages incremental processing and parallel streams to handle large 10 GB files efficiently, while built-in retry and checkpoint mechanisms ensure reliability against network interruptions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Download the file to a staging server, then bulk insert into warehouse
Why it's wrong here
Download adds an extra step and uses storage.
- ✓
Stream the file directly from SFTP into warehouse using a data pipeline tool
Why this is correct
Streaming minimizes latency and storage overhead.
- ✗
Have the vendor push data via API instead of SFTP
Why it's wrong here
Changing vendor processes is not always feasible.
- ✗
Split the file into smaller chunks and load concurrently
Why it's wrong here
Splitting still requires download and adds complexity.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DA0-002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 DA0-002 exam.