How to Auto-Start a Glue Workflow After S3 File Gateway Transfers?

DEA-C01 By islever Editorial Last updated Oct 7, 2026

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Short answer

B Use an Amazon EventBridge rule matched to successful S3 File Gateway transfer events to start the AWS Glue workflow directly, with no Lambda or manual step.

Question

A company has a business intelligence platform on AWS. The company uses an AWS Storage Gateway Amazon S3 File Gateway to transfer files from the company's on-premises environment to an Amazon S3 bucket. A data engineer needs to setup a process that will automatically launch an AWS Glue workflow to run a series of AWS Glue jobs when each file transfer finishes successfully. Which solution will meet these requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?

Determine when the file transfers usually finish based on previous successful file transfers. Set up an Amazon EventBridge scheduled event to initiate the AWS Glue jobs at that time of day.
Set up an Amazon EventBridge event that initiates the AWS Glue workflow after every successful S3 File Gateway file transfer event. Correct Answer
Set up an on-demand AWS Glue workflow so that the data engineer can start the AWS Glue workflow when each file transfer is complete.
Set up an AWS Lambda function that will invoke the AWS Glue Workflow. Set up an event for the creation of an S3 object as a trigger for the Lambda function.

Key Takeaways

The question tests event-driven orchestration between Storage Gateway and Glue; the trap is adding a Lambda function (D) or relying on schedule/manual starts, which adds overhead or misses real completion events.

This DEA-C01 question tests automatic AWS Glue workflow orchestration after S3 File Gateway uploads. The page establishes that an Amazon EventBridge rule targeting the Glue workflow is the correct answer (B) with the least operational overhead.

Common mistake: Many candidates choose D because an S3 object-created event through Lambda seems event-driven, but it adds an unnecessary function to maintain and can fire on unrelated object creations.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Option B is correct because AWS Storage Gateway S3 File Gateway emits successful file-upload events to Amazon EventBridge, and EventBridge can target an AWS Glue workflow directly. This creates a fully managed, event-driven trigger that starts the workflow exactly after each successful transfer, with no servers, polling, or manual intervention. It meets the "least operational overhead" requirement better than any option that introduces a schedule, manual start, or extra compute. The Glue workflow then orchestrates the series of Glue jobs as requested.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A relies on a guessed schedule based on previous transfers, so it can start before a file arrives or miss late transfers, and it does not react to actual success. Option C is an on-demand workflow, which requires a person to start it for every file, directly contradicting the automatic requirement and adding operational effort. Option D can work, but it introduces an AWS Lambda function that must be coded, permissioned, monitored, and paid for, while the S3 object-created event can also fire for objects that did not come from the gateway. For least operational overhead, the direct EventBridge-to-Glue workflow path in B is superior.

Community Comment Notes

One commenter, tgv, noted that using EventBridge directly to trigger the Glue workflow upon S3 events is "straightforward" and requires "minimal maintenance." PGGuy similarly described option B as providing "real-time automation with minimal operational overhead." Another learner, bakarys, first agreed with B but later argued that "least operational overhead is Option D" through Lambda; that view overlooks the extra Lambda component and its lifecycle management. A further commenter pointed out that event-driven handling of S3 file creation naturally points to EventBridge, reinforcing the direct integration in B.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

For least-operational-overhead questions, prefer native AWS service-to-service event integrations over custom compute or schedules. Check whether EventBridge supports the source event and the target directly; if it does, that is usually the intended answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Lambda not needed with EventBridge for Glue workflows?

EventBridge can target an AWS Glue workflow directly, so a Lambda function adds code, permissions, and monitoring overhead without improving the event-driven trigger.

Can S3 File Gateway send file upload events to EventBridge?

Yes, S3 File Gateway publishes successful upload events to EventBridge, allowing rules to react when a file transfer finishes.

More DEA-C01 FAQ →

Community Votes

100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 5 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 5

tgv 👍 5 Answered B

Using EventBridge directly to trigger the AWS Glue workflow upon S3 events is straightforward and leverages AWS's event-driven architecture, requiring minimal maintenance.
bakarys 👍 2 Answered B

Setting up an Amazon EventBridge event that initiates the AWS Glue workflow after every successful S3 File Gateway file transfer event would meet these requirements with the least operational overhead. This solution is event-driven and does not require manual intervention or reliance on a schedule that might not align with the actual completion time of the file transfers. The AWS Glue workflow is triggered automatically when a new file is added to the S3 bucket, ensuring that the AWS Glue workflow starts processing the new data as soon as it’s available.
bakarys 👍 1 Answered D

The solution that will meet these requirements with the least operational overhead is Option D. Setting up an AWS Lambda function that will invoke the AWS Glue Workflow, and setting up an event for the creation of an S3 object as a trigger for the Lambda function, will ensure that the workflow is automatically initiated each time a file transfer is successfully completed. This approach requires minimal operational overhead as it automates the process and does not require manual intervention or scheduling based on estimated completion times. Options A and C involve manual intervention or assumptions about transfer times, which could lead to inefficiencies or inaccuracies. Option B is not feasible because Amazon EventBridge does not directly support triggering events based on S3 File Gateway file transfer events. Therefore, Option D is the most suitable solution.
PGGuy 👍 1 Answered B

Setting up an Amazon EventBridge event (Option B) to initiate the AWS Glue workflow after every successful S3 File Gateway file transfer event is the most efficient solution. It provides real-time automation with minimal operational overhead, ensuring that the Glue workflow starts immediately after the file transfer is complete.
andrologin 👍 1 Answered C

Event driven architecture with S3 file creation can only be EventBridge

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