Amazon DEA-C01 Practice Exam Questions & Answers

5 Free Questions · Last reviewed: September 15, 2026 · Prepared & Reviewed by the ValidExamDumps Editorial Team

Exam Facts

Amazon DEA-C01 Exam Details

Key details for this exam, checked against the published exam outline

335 Practice Questions (Our Bank)
130 minutes Exam Duration
720 out of 1000 Passing Score
USD 150 Exam Fee
Exam Code
DEA-C01
Full Name
AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate
Issuing Body
Amazon Web Services
Question Format (Our Bank)
Multiple Choice
Delivery
Online proctored or at a Pearson VUE test centre
Eligibility
No formal prerequisites required, though equivalent 2-3 years of data engineering experience and 1-2 years of hands-on AWS experience are recommended
Validity
3 years from date earned. recertification requires passing the current version of this exam
Practice Questions

Free DEA-C01 Practice Questions

Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation of why it is right

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A company loads transaction data for each day into Amazon Redshift tables at the end of each day. The company wants to have the ability to track which tables have been loaded and which tables still need to be loaded.

A data engineer wants to store the load statuses of Redshift tables in an Amazon DynamoDB table. The data engineer creates an AWS Lambda function to publish the details of the load statuses to DynamoDB.

How should the data engineer invoke the Lambda function to write load statuses to the DynamoDB table?

Correct Answer: C
Explanation

The Amazon Redshift Data API enables you to interact with your Amazon Redshift data warehouse in an easy and secure way. You can use the Data API to run SQL commands, such as loading data into tables, without requiring a persistent connection to the cluster. The Data API also integrates with Amazon EventBridge, which allows you to monitor the execution status of your SQL commands and trigger actions based on events. By using the Data API to publish an event to EventBridge, the data engineer can invoke the Lambda function that writes the load statuses to the DynamoDB table. This solution is scalable, reliable, and cost-effective. The other options are either not possible or not optimal. You cannot use a second Lambda function to invoke the first Lambda function based on CloudWatch or CloudTrail events, as these services do not capture the load status of Redshift tables. You can use the Data API to publish a message to an SQS queue, but this would require additional configuration and polling logic to invoke the Lambda function from the queue. This would also introduce additional latency and cost.Reference:

Using the Amazon Redshift Data API

Using Amazon EventBridge with Amazon Redshift

AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate DEA-C01 Complete Study Guide, Chapter 2: Data Store Management, Section 2.2: Amazon Redshift

A company is migrating its database servers from Amazon EC2 instances that run Microsoft SQL Server to Amazon RDS for Microsoft SQL Server DB instances. The company's analytics team must export large data elements every day until the migration is complete. The data elements are the result of SQL joins across multiple tables. The data must be in Apache Parquet format. The analytics team must store the data in Amazon S3.

Which solution will meet these requirements in the MOST operationally efficient way?

Correct Answer: A
Explanation

Option A is the most operationally efficient way to meet the requirements because it minimizes the number of steps and services involved in the data export process. AWS Glue is a fully managed service that can extract, transform, and load (ETL) data from various sources to various destinations, including Amazon S3. AWS Glue can also convert data to different formats, such as Parquet, which is a columnar storage format that is optimized for analytics. By creating a view in the SQL Server databases that contains the required data elements, the AWS Glue job can select the data directly from the view without having to perform any joins or transformations on the source data. The AWS Glue job can then transfer the data in Parquet format to an S3 bucket and run on a daily schedule.

Option B is not operationally efficient because it involves multiple steps and services to export the data. SQL Server Agent is a tool that can run scheduled tasks on SQL Server databases, such as executing SQL queries. However, SQL Server Agent cannot directly export data to S3, so the query output must be saved as .csv objects on the EC2 instance. Then, an S3 event must be configured to trigger an AWS Lambda function that can transform the .csv objects to Parquet format and upload them to S3. This option adds complexity and latency to the data export process and requires additional resources and configuration.

Option C is not operationally efficient because it introduces an unnecessary step of running an AWS Glue crawler to read the view. An AWS Glue crawler is a service that can scan data sources and create metadata tables in the AWS Glue Data Catalog. The Data Catalog is a central repository that stores information about the data sources, such as schema, format, and location. However, in this scenario, the schema and format of the data elements are already known and fixed, so there is no need to run a crawler to discover them. The AWS Glue job can directly select the data from the view without using the Data Catalog. Running a crawler adds extra time and cost to the data export process.

Option D is not operationally efficient because it requires custom code and configuration to query the databases and transform the data. An AWS Lambda function is a service that can run code in response to events or triggers, such as Amazon EventBridge. Amazon EventBridge is a service that can connect applications and services with event sources, such as schedules, and route them to targets, such as Lambda functions. However, in this scenario, using a Lambda function to query the databases and transform the data is not the best option because it requires writing and maintaining code that uses JDBC to connect to the SQL Server databases, retrieve the required data, convert the data to Parquet format, and transfer the data to S3. This option also has limitations on the execution time, memory, and concurrency of the Lambda function, which may affect the performance and reliability of the data export process.

AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate DEA-C01 Complete Study Guide

AWS Glue Documentation

Working with Views in AWS Glue

Converting to Columnar Formats

A telecommunications company collects network usage data throughout each day at a rate of several thousand data points each second. The company runs an application to process the usage data in real time. The company aggregates and stores the data in an Amazon Aurora DB instance.

Sudden drops in network usage usually indicate a network outage. The company must be able to identify sudden drops in network usage so the company can take immediate remedial actions.

Which solution will meet this requirement with the LEAST latency?

Correct Answer: B
Explanation

The telecommunications company needs a low-latency solution to detect sudden drops in network usage from real-time data collected throughout the day.

Option B: Modify the processing application to publish the data to an Amazon Kinesis data stream. Create an Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink (Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics) application to detect drops in network usage.Using Amazon Kinesis with Managed Service for Apache Flink (formerly Kinesis Data Analytics) is ideal for real-time stream processing with minimal latency. Flink can analyze the incoming data stream in real-time and detect anomalies, such as sudden drops in usage, which makes it the best fit for this scenario.

Other options (A, C, and D) either introduce unnecessary delays (e.g., querying databases) or do not provide the same real-time, low-latency processing that is critical for this use case.


Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics for Apache Flink

Amazon Kinesis Documentation

A company uses an organization in AWS Organizations to manage multiple AWS accounts. The company uses an enhanced fanout data stream in Amazon Kinesis Data Streams to receive streaming data from multiple producers. The data stream runs in Account A. The company wants to use an AWS Lambda function in Account B to process the data from the stream. The company creates a Lambda execution role in Account B that has permissions to access data from the stream in Account A.

What additional step must the company take to meet this requirement?

Correct Answer: B
Explanation

To allow cross-account access to a Kinesis Data Stream, you must add a resource-based policy to the Kinesis stream in Account A, explicitly granting the Lambda execution role in Account B the required permissions.

SCPs (A & C) set permissions boundaries, but do not grant access.

Option D incorrectly refers to the Lambda function -- but the Kinesis resource must allow access.

''You must add a resource-based policy to the Kinesis Data Stream in Account A to allow a Lambda function in Account B to consume from the stream.''

A healthcare company uses Amazon Kinesis Data Streams to stream real-time health data from wearable devices, hospital equipment, and patient records.

A data engineer needs to find a solution to process the streaming data. The data engineer needs to store the data in an Amazon Redshift Serverless warehouse. The solution must support near real-time analytics of the streaming data and the previous day's data.

Which solution will meet these requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?

Correct Answer: B
Explanation

The streaming ingestion feature of Amazon Redshift enables you to ingest data from streaming sources, such as Amazon Kinesis Data Streams, into Amazon Redshift tables in near real-time. You can use the streaming ingestion feature to process the streaming data from the wearable devices, hospital equipment, and patient records. The streaming ingestion feature also supports incremental updates, which means you can append new data or update existing data in the Amazon Redshift tables. This way, you can store the data in an Amazon Redshift Serverless warehouse and support near real-time analytics of the streaming data and the previous day's data. This solution meets the requirements with the least operational overhead, as it does not require any additional services or components to ingest and process the streaming data. The other options are either not feasible or not optimal. Loading data into Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose and then into Amazon Redshift (option A) would introduce additional latency and cost, as well as require additional configuration and management. Loading data into Amazon S3 and then using the COPY command to load the data into Amazon Redshift (option C) would also introduce additional latency and cost, as well as require additional storage space and ETL logic. Using the Amazon Aurora zero-ETL integration with Amazon Redshift (option D) would not work, as it requires the data to be stored in Amazon Aurora first, which is not the case for the streaming data from the healthcare company.Reference:

Using streaming ingestion with Amazon Redshift

AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate DEA-C01 Complete Study Guide, Chapter 3: Data Ingestion and Transformation, Section 3.5: Amazon Redshift Streaming Ingestion

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Study Guide

What the Amazon DEA-C01 Exam Covers

Exam domains verified against: Official Amazon DEA-C01 exam guide, last checked September 2026.

Domain 1: Data Ingestion and Transformation 34%

Design and implement data ingestion from streaming and batch sources including Kinesis, MSK, S3, DynamoDB, and AWS DMS. Build transformation pipelines using AWS Glue, Lambda, and EMR. Orchestrate workflows with EventBridge, Apache Airflow, and AWS Step Functions. Apply programming concepts with Python, SQL, and other languages.

Sample questions from this domain above: Q1Q2Q5

Domain 2: Data Store Management 26%

Select optimal data storage services such as Redshift, DynamoDB, RDS, and Lake Formation based on cost, performance, and access patterns. Design schemas and manage data models for these stores. Build and maintain technical data catalogs with AWS Glue Data Catalog. Manage data lifecycle policies, versioning, and TTL settings.

Sample question from this domain above: Q4

Domain 3: Data Operations and Support 22%

Automate data processing using AWS Glue, Amazon MWAA, and AWS Step Functions. Monitor and troubleshoot pipelines with CloudWatch and CloudTrail. Query data using Athena and Redshift. Ensure data quality through validation checks and implement data cleansing and preparation techniques.

Domain 4: Data Security and Governance 18%

Implement authentication with IAM roles and VPC security groups. Apply authorization through custom policies, Lake Formation permissions, and role-based access control. Encrypt data in transit and at rest using AWS KMS. Manage PII detection, data masking, and privacy compliance. Enable centralized logging with CloudTrail and CloudWatch Logs.

Sample question from this domain above: Q3

FAQ

DEA-C01 Exam FAQ

Common questions about the exam itself

What background do I need to take the DEA-C01 exam?
AWS recommends 2-3 years of data engineering experience and 1-2 years of hands-on AWS experience, though there are no formal prerequisites. You should understand Python or Scala, SQL, and core AWS services like Glue, Kinesis, Redshift, and S3 at a practical level.
How long should I study to pass DEA-C01?
Most candidates with data engineering experience need 6-8 weeks of dedicated study, spending 1-2 hours daily. Your timeline depends on your existing AWS knowledge and hands-on experience with data pipelines. Hands-on labs matter more than video courses alone.
What makes the Data Ingestion and Transformation domain hardest?
It covers the most material at 34% of the exam and requires understanding both streaming and batch ingestion patterns, event-driven architectures, orchestration, and programming concepts across multiple AWS services. Focus early on Glue, Kinesis, EventBridge, and Step Functions.
What happens on exam day for the DEA-C01 test?
You take a 130-minute exam with 65 multiple-choice or multiple-response questions. You can sit online with remote proctoring or at a Pearson VUE testing centre. The exam includes 50 scored questions and 15 unscored questions for AWS evaluation. Unanswered questions are marked wrong, but there is no penalty for guessing.
Can I retake DEA-C01 if I fail, and how long must I wait?
Yes, you can retake the exam. AWS allows you to schedule retakes, though there may be a waiting period between attempts. Each attempt costs the full USD 150 exam fee unless you have a discount voucher from a prior AWS certification.
How long is the DEA-C01 certification valid, and how do I renew it?
The certification is valid for 3 years from the date you pass. To renew, you must pass the current version of the DEA-C01 exam before your certification expires. AWS sends reminders before expiration, but recertification by exam only is the renewal method offered.
Is DEA-C01 the right exam for a data engineer role, and what does it prepare me for?
DEA-C01 is designed for data professionals who design, build, and manage data pipelines on AWS. It maps to data engineer and data architecture roles. After DEA-C01, you can advance to the AWS Certified Data Analytics Specialty or AWS Certified Security Specialty for deeper expertise.
How does DEA-C01 compare to the old Data Analytics Specialty exam?
DEA-C01 focuses on pipeline implementation and data engineering skills, while the retired Data Analytics Specialty (DAS-C01) emphasized analytics and visualization. DEA-C01 is the newer data-focused certification and covers infrastructure, governance, and operations more deeply.
What's the passing score for DEA-C01, and how is it scaled?
The scaled passing score is 720 out of 1000. AWS uses a compensatory scoring model, so you do not need to pass each domain individually, only the overall exam. The scaled scoring equalizes difficulty across different exam versions.
Do I need to pass the Cloud Practitioner exam before taking DEA-C01?
No. There are no prerequisite certifications for DEA-C01. You can take it directly if you have the recommended hands-on experience with AWS data services, though Cloud Practitioner knowledge of AWS fundamentals is helpful.