AWS Certified Data Engineer – AssociateData Ingestion and TransformationEasy
A research institution is collecting sensor data from an array of environmental monitoring stations located in remote areas with intermittent internet connectivity. The data needs to be securely stored and eventually ingested into AWS for analysis. The stations can store up to 10 TB of data locally before needing to offload. Which AWS service is most appropriate for ingesting this data?
- AAWS DataSync
- BAWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
- CAmazon Kinesis Data Firehose
- DAWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. AWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized
AWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized devices are designed for transferring large amounts of data (up to 80 TB per device) into and out of AWS, especially in environments with limited or no internet connectivity. This perfectly matches the scenario of remote stations with intermittent connectivity and significant data volumes.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. DataSync requires a consistent network connection between the on-premises source and AWS.
- B. DMS is specifically for migrating databases, not general sensor data from remote stations.
- C. Kinesis Data Firehose is for real-time streaming data ingestion over a continuous network connection.
AWS Snowball Edge
AWS Snowball Edge is a data migration and edge computing device that helps transfer large amounts of data into and out of AWS, and can run compute workloads at the edge.
- Comes in Storage Optimized and Compute Optimized versions.
- Ideal for disconnected or intermittently connected environments.
- Physical device shipped to customer for data transfer.
Memory trick: Think 'Snowball' for 'no internet' and 'big data' transfer.