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AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate Quick Facts
The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate certification helps you build confidence in working with data at scale by validating real-world skills in ingestion, transformation, and storage. This overview gives you a clear roadmap to understand the key domains so you can prepare with focus and enthusiasm for your certification journey.
How does the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate certification help you grow as a cloud data professional?
The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) validates your ability to design, build, and optimize data pipelines on AWS while ensuring reliability, scalability, and security. This certification is ideal for professionals who want to demonstrate proficiency in managing end-to-end data workflows, from ingesting streaming and batch data to applying data governance. The exam emphasizes practical skills with real AWS services like Kinesis, Glue, Redshift, DynamoDB, and Lake Formation, making it a great way to showcase that you can transform data into valuable, business-ready assets. Whether your role is data engineering, analytics, or software development, achieving this certification highlights your expertise in helping organizations unlock insights from data through effective use of AWS services.
Who is the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) certification designed for?
The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) is tailored for professionals looking to showcase their ability to manage, optimize, and secure data pipelines in AWS. It is especially geared toward:
- Data engineers with 2–3 years of professional experience in data engineering or data architecture
- Professionals with at least 1–2 years of hands-on AWS service experience
- People aiming to validate their skills in building and managing data workflows efficiently in AWS
- Cloud professionals seeking to pivot into more data-focused roles such as Data Engineer, Data Architect, or ETL Developer
This certification demonstrates not just technical ability but also your commitment to advancing in one of the most in-demand areas in cloud computing today: data engineering.
What skills and expertise does AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate validate?
When passing the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam, you validate essential skills including:
- Building and orchestrating ETL pipelines with AWS services such as Glue, EMR, Step Functions, and Lambda
- Designing scalable data models and managing schema evolution
- Cataloging, classifying, and optimizing data storage lifecycles for both structured and unstructured sources
- Ensuring data security and governance using IAM, KMS, Lake Formation, and Macie
- Troubleshooting pipeline issues and monitoring using CloudWatch and CloudTrail
- Applying core programming concepts, SQL, and Infrastructure as Code to automate scalable workflows
Success in this exam signals to employers that you can take raw, streaming, or batch data and transform it into usable insights securely, reliably, and cost effectively.
How long do I get to complete the AWS DEA-C01 exam?
You are given 130 minutes to complete the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam. This generous timeframe allows you to review scenarios thoroughly and demonstrate your abilities across multiple domains. Proper time management is key, as some scenario-based questions may require additional analysis before answering.
What is the passing score for AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate?
The minimum passing score for this certification is 720 out of 1000. The exam uses a scaled scoring system to account for variations in exam form difficulty. Importantly, you are not required to pass each domain individually. Instead, AWS uses a compensatory model, meaning strong performance in one domain can balance weaker performance in another, as long as your total score reaches the passing threshold.
How many questions are in the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam?
The certification exam includes 65 questions, a mix of:
- Multiple-choice (one correct answer)
- Multiple-response (two or more correct answers)
Of these, 50 questions are scored, and 15 are unscored experimental questions. The unscored items help AWS evaluate potential future exam content, but you will not know which ones are scored during the test. Treat each question as if it counts toward your final performance.
How much does the AWS DEA-C01 exam cost?
The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam costs 150 USD. Additional taxes or currency conversions may apply depending on your region. One great perk of AWS certification is that if you already hold an active AWS certification, you receive a 50% discount voucher toward your next exam, which can significantly lower the overall cost of your certification journey.
What version of the AWS Data Engineer certification exam should I take?
The exam you should plan for is the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01). This is the current and only version available for this associate-level data engineering path. Always ensure that your study materials and practice resources specifically reference DEA-C01 so you’re aligned with the right objectives and domains.
What languages is the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam offered in?
The DEA-C01 exam is available in English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. AWS continuously evaluates which languages to support so that candidates across regions have equitable access to the certification.
How is the AWS DEA-C01 exam delivered?
You have the flexibility to take the exam in two ways:
- In Person at a Pearson VUE testing center
- Online with remote proctoring, which requires a webcam, stable internet connection, and a quiet environment
This flexibility ensures you can choose the exam delivery method that best suits your schedule and comfort level.
What job roles benefit most from AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate?
This certification is especially advantageous for professionals pursuing or advancing careers in roles such as:
- Data Engineer
- Data Architect
- ETL/ELT Pipeline Engineer
- Analytics Engineer
- Cloud Data Pipeline Developer
- Data Platform Specialist
Holding this certification demonstrates a capability for data transformation, orchestration, governance, and security within the AWS ecosystem, giving you a competitive edge for roles in enterprise cloud data engineering and analytics.
What AWS services should I focus my studies on?
A successful candidate will be confident with a broad range of AWS services including:
- Data Ingestion and Transformation: AWS Glue, AWS Database Migration Service (DMS), Amazon Kinesis, Amazon EMR
- Data Modeling and Storage: Amazon Redshift, DynamoDB, Lake Formation, Amazon S3
- Data Operations and Automation: AWS Lambda, Step Functions, EventBridge, Athena
- Security and Compliance: IAM, KMS, Secrets Manager, Macie, CloudTrail
In addition to these, you should also understand containerization (EKS, ECS) for data processing and orchestration with Airflow through Amazon MWAA.
What are the content domains and their weightings for AWS DEA-C01?
The exam blueprint is divided into four primary domains:
- Data Ingestion and Transformation (34%)
- Streaming and batch ingestion
- ETL pipeline creation and orchestration
- Applying programming concepts to pipelines
- Data Store Management (26%)
- Choosing and configuring data stores
- Design of schemas and schema evolution
- Managing the data lifecycle and catalog systems
- Data Operations and Support (22%)
- Automating data workflows
- Pipeline monitoring, auditing, and quality checks
- Data analysis and query optimization
- Data Security and Governance (18%)
- Encryption, access control, and masking
- Authentication and authorization through IAM
- Governance, privacy, and compliance logging
Understanding these domains helps you allocate study time effectively based on exam weighting.
How long is the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate credential valid?
Once earned, the certification is valid for 3 years. To maintain your credential, you can recertify by taking the latest version of the exam before expiration or by advancing to higher-level AWS certifications.
What comes after passing the AWS Data Engineer Associate certification?
After passing the DEA-C01 exam, a natural next step is moving into specialty certifications such as the AWS Certified Security - Specialty, which reinforces skills around cloud data security and governance. Many professionals also pursue advanced certifications like AWS Solutions Architect – Professional or Data Analytics – Specialty to broaden expertise.
Are there prerequisites before registering for AWS DEA-C01?
There are no formal prerequisites for this certification. However, AWS strongly recommends:
- 2–3 years of professional data engineering experience
- 1–2 years of hands-on AWS service experience
- Familiarity with ETL pipelines, SQL, and basic data modeling concepts
Practical experience with the AWS Free Tier or professional projects will make exam preparation more intuitive.
How is the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam scored?
Each exam is scored using scaled scoring from 100 to 1000, with 720 required to pass. The use of scaled scores ensures that regardless of which version of the exam you take, fairness is maintained across performance difficulty variations. You will also receive a diagnostic report that highlights your strengths and areas for improvement, helping you plan future learning.
What knowledge areas should I concentrate on to succeed?
To prepare efficiently, focus on:
- SQL proficiency (joins, aggregations, stored procedures)
- Security principles (IAM, encryption, data governance)
- ETL orchestration workflows
- Distributed data processing in Spark and EMR
- Data lifecycle cost optimization with S3 and Redshift
- Pipeline monitoring, logging, and notifications
Being comfortable with both the technical and operational aspects of managing AWS data services will give you a holistic readiness.
What are the biggest benefits of earning this certification?
Achieving AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate helps you:
- Build strong recognition as a qualified professional in data engineering and architecture
- Gain greater career opportunities in industries adopting AWS for analytics
- Show employers you can design reliable, scalable, and secure pipelines
- Stand out in a competitive marketplace with one of AWS’s newest in-demand certifications
It’s also a major confidence booster that paves the way for higher-level cloud roles.
How should I prepare for the DEA-C01 exam?
Here are effective study strategies:
- AWS Skill Builder & Learning Paths – Walkthroughs and labs designed for DEA-C01 exam prep
- Hands-On Practice – Use the Free Tier to create pipelines with Glue, Redshift, and Lambda
- Official Documentation & Whitepapers – Study best practices around data governance, architecture, and orchestration
- Practice Exams – Reinforce knowledge and gain confidence with top-quality AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate practice exams that mimic the real test experience with full explanations
Balancing theory with hands-on experimentation makes preparation engaging and effective.
How difficult is the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate compared to other AWS certifications?
This associate-level certification sits in between the AWS foundational exams and advanced specialty exams. It is considered more technical than the foundational level but highly attainable with consistent preparation and hands-on practice. The wide breadth of services covered ensures your learning is comprehensive and career-enhancing.
Where do I register for the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam?
Registration is handled directly through the official AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate certification page. From there, you can select your testing method, choose Pearson VUE or online proctoring, and schedule the time that works best for you.
The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate certification is an incredible investment in your career. It positions you to succeed in one of the fastest growing fields in technology: cloud-powered data engineering. By committing to your preparation and leveraging the best resources available, you’re on track to showcase your expertise to the world.
