How Hard Is AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01

Summary

In this video, Greg explains the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate exam, covering its difficulty, requirements, and essential preparation. The exam focuses on data ingestion, transformation, pipeline orchestration, and security. Ideal for those with 2-3 years of data engineering experience and 1-2 years of hands-on AWS experience, the certification validates key skills in managing data workflows. Greg also highlights a free AWS Skill Builder course for exam preparation. Whether you're a data engineer or a solutions architect, this video offers valuable insights into the certification journey.

Takeaways

• 😀 The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate certification validates skills in core data-related AWS services, including building data pipelines, transforming data, and ensuring data quality.
• 😀 AWS Associate-level certifications are intermediate, so it's recommended to have at least 1-2 years of hands-on AWS experience before attempting this exam.
• 😀 The Data Engineer certification focuses on tasks such as data ingestion, transformation, orchestration, programming concepts, data modeling, and managing data lifecycles.
• 😀 AWS services are essential for securing, encrypting, and logging data, and understanding cost-performance trade-offs is crucial for success in this exam.
• 😀 The exam is 130 minutes long, consists of 65 questions (with 15 unscored), and requires a scaled score of 720 or higher to pass.
• 😀 A good starting point is to review the AWS certification exam guide, which details the domains and tasks covered by the exam.
• 😀 The four main domains on the exam are: 1) Data Ingestion and Transformation (34%), 2) Data Store Management (26%), 3) Data Operations and Support (22%), and 4) Data Security and Governance (18%).
• 😀 Two to three years of data engineering experience, with knowledge of big data, transformation, security, governance, and AWS infrastructure, is recommended before taking the exam.
• 😀 You are not expected to have knowledge of machine learning tasks, programming language syntax, or drawing business conclusions from data for this certification.
• 😀 AWS provides a free 6-hour exam prep course on AWS Skill Builder, covering exam topics, question styles, and domain-specific training to help you succeed.

Q & A

What is the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate certification designed to validate?

The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate certification validates your skills in core data-related AWS services, including the ability to ingest and transform data, orchestrate data pipelines, design data models, manage data life cycles, and ensure data quality.

How does the AWS Data Engineer Associate certification fit within the overall AWS certification hierarchy?

The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate certification is an Associate level certification, which is part of AWS's intermediate-level certifications. It falls above the foundational level and below the professional and specialty certifications in the hierarchy.

What are some key tasks and skills that will be tested on the AWS Data Engineer Associate exam?

Key tasks on the exam include ingesting and transforming data, orchestrating data pipelines, applying programming concepts, choosing optimal data stores, designing data models, managing data life cycles, and implementing authentication, authorization, and data security practices.

What is the recommended experience for someone taking the AWS Data Engineer Associate exam?

It is recommended that candidates have 2-3 years of experience in data engineering, along with 1-2 years of hands-on AWS experience. A general IT background, familiarity with ETL pipelines, and knowledge of language-agnostic programming concepts are also beneficial.

How many questions are on the AWS Data Engineer Associate exam, and what is the duration?

The AWS Data Engineer Associate exam consists of 65 questions, which are a combination of multiple-choice and multiple-response questions. The exam duration is 130 minutes.

What is the passing score for the AWS Data Engineer Associate exam?

The passing score for the AWS Data Engineer Associate exam is 720 out of 1000. A score of 100 indicates a very poor performance, while 720 is the threshold for passing.

What are the four main domains covered in the AWS Data Engineer Associate exam?

The four main domains are: 1) Data Ingestion and Transformation (34% of the exam), 2) Data Store Management (26%), 3) Data Operations and Support (22%), and 4) Data Security and Governance (18%).

What AWS services should a candidate be familiar with for the AWS Data Engineer Associate exam?

Candidates should be familiar with AWS services related to data encryption, governance, protection, logging, and data pipeline management. They should also be able to compare AWS services and make architectural decisions regarding cost, performance, and functionality.

Are there any topics that are out of scope for the AWS Data Engineer Associate exam?

Yes, topics that are out of scope for the exam include artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning tasks, specific programming language syntax, and drawing business conclusions based on data.

What free AWS exam preparation resource is mentioned in the video?

The video mentions a free AWS exam prep course available on AWS Skill Builder, which provides approximately six hours of training covering the exam structure, topics, and detailed prep for each domain outlined in the exam guide.