About This Domain
Domain 1 — Data Ingestion and Transformation — accounts for 34% of the DEA-C01 certification exam. This domain evaluates your understanding of batch ingestion with aws glue, dms, and s3 data transfer, streaming ingestion with kinesis data streams, data firehose, and msk, data transformation with glue etl jobs, databrew, spark, and lambda, and related concepts. Domain 1 validates your ability to choose appropriate data ingestion methods, build batch and streaming pipelines, and transform data using AWS services like Glue, Kinesis, DMS, Lambda, and EMR. To pass this section you need practical knowledge of how these services and patterns work together in real-world architectures.
What You'll Be Tested On
- Batch ingestion with AWS Glue, DMS, and S3 data transfer
- Streaming ingestion with Kinesis Data Streams, Data Firehose, and MSK
- Data transformation with Glue ETL jobs, DataBrew, Spark, and Lambda
- Schema management with the Glue Data Catalog and Schema Registry
- Change data capture (CDC) with DMS and Kinesis
- Data format conversion (CSV, JSON, Parquet, ORC, Avro)
Key AWS Services in This Domain
Study Strategy for Domain 1
At 34% of the exam, this is the highest-weighted domain — invest proportionally more study time here. Focus on hands-on labs and scenario-based questions. Aim to answer at least 80% of Domain 1 questions correctly in practice tests before sitting the real exam.
Exam Tips for Domain 1
Know when to use Glue (batch ETL) vs Kinesis Firehose (near-real-time delivery) vs Kinesis Data Streams (real-time with custom consumers).
Glue job bookmarks track previously processed data to avoid reprocessing.
DMS with CDC enables continuous replication from source databases to AWS targets.
Convert data to columnar formats (Parquet, ORC) early in the pipeline for downstream query performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions on the DEA-C01 exam come from Domain 1?
Domain 1 (Data Ingestion and Transformation) makes up 34% of the DEA-C01 exam. The exam has 65 scored questions, so approximately 22 questions will come from this domain.
What services should I focus on for Domain 1?
The key services for this domain include AWS Glue, Kinesis, DMS, Lambda, EMR, MSK, S3. Make sure you understand how each service works, its use cases, and how they integrate with one another.
How should I prepare for Data Ingestion and Transformation questions?
Start by reviewing the key topics listed above, then practice with domain-specific questions. Focus on understanding real-world scenarios rather than memorizing facts. Use our practice quizzes to test your knowledge and review explanations for any questions you get wrong.
What's the best order to study the DEA-C01 domains?
Many candidates start with the highest-weighted domains first. For the DEA-C01 exam, the domains in order of weight are: Data Ingestion and Transformation (34%), Data Store Management (26%), Data Operations and Support (22%), Data Security and Governance (18%). However, start with whichever domain aligns best with your existing experience.
Practice Domain 1 Questions
Test your knowledge of Data Ingestion and Transformation with practice questions from our DEA-C01 question bank.
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