Invoking Lambda for Redshift Load Status via EventBridge

DEA-C01 By islever Editorial Last updated

Automate data processing by using AWS services.

Short answer

B Use the Amazon Redshift Data API to publish an event to Amazon EventBridge to trigger the Lambda function.

Question

A company loads transaction data for each day into Amazon Redshift tables at the end of each day. The company wants to have the ability to track which tables have been loaded and which tables still need to be loaded. A data engineer wants to store the load statuses of Redshift tables in an Amazon DynamoDB table. The data engineer creates an AWS Lambda function to publish the details of the load statuses to DynamoDB. How should the data engineer invoke the Lambda function to write load statuses to the DynamoDB table?
  1. Use a second Lambda function to invoke the first Lambda function based on Amazon CloudWatch events.
  2. Use the Amazon Redshift Data API to publish an event to Amazon EventBridge. Configure an EventBridge rule to invoke the Lambda function. Correct Answer
  3. Use the Amazon Redshift Data API to publish a message to an Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS) queue. Configure the SQS queue to invoke the Lambda function.
  4. Use a second Lambda function to invoke the first Lambda function based on AWS CloudTrail events.

Key Takeaways

The core concept tested is using Amazon EventBridge as a serverless event bus to decouple data ingestion from status tracking, avoiding direct polling or complex orchestration.

This question addresses integrating Amazon Redshift Data API with AWS Lambda and EventBridge to track table load statuses. It establishes that publishing events to EventBridge is the correct mechanism to trigger downstream processing.

Common mistake: Candidates often choose SQS (Option C) thinking it's for buffering, but Redshift Data API natively integrates with EventBridge for monitoring events, not SQS.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Using the Amazon Redshift Data API to publish events to Amazon EventBridge allows the system to react automatically when data loading operations complete or fail. EventBridge rules can then filter these events and invoke the Lambda function asynchronously, which writes the status to DynamoDB. This pattern leverages native AWS integrations for reliable, scalable event-driven architecture.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A creates unnecessary coupling by having one Lambda invoke another, which is less efficient than an event bus. Option C is incorrect because the Redshift Data API does not have a native integration to push messages directly to an SQS queue; it publishes to EventBridge. Option D relies on CloudTrail, which logs API calls for security auditing but is not designed for real-time operational event processing like load status updates, and typically has higher latency.

Community Comment Notes

Many learners initially questioned if the Data API could 'publish' directly to EventBridge, noting that while the documentation shows monitoring events, the integration is indeed supported for this use case. Some users suggested CloudTrail (D) as an alternative, but experts clarified that CloudTrail is for audit trails, not functional workflow triggers. The consensus remains that EventBridge is the standard service for handling such operational events in AWS.

Official Reference

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/redshift/latest/mgmt/data-api-monitoring-events.html

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

Always look for native integrations between services. If a service generates events (like database operations), check if it supports publishing to EventBridge before considering manual polling or secondary functions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not use CloudTrail to trigger Lambda?

CloudTrail is for security auditing and logging API calls, not for real-time operational workflows. It lacks the low-latency event routing needed for immediate load status updates.

Can Redshift Data API send to SQS?

No, the Redshift Data API natively integrates with Amazon EventBridge for monitoring and event notifications. It does not have a direct connector to SQS.

More DEA-C01 FAQ →

Community Votes

B
100%

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

Discussion 7 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 7

  1. milofficial 👍 13 Answered B
    https://docs.aws.amazon.com/redshift/latest/mgmt/data-api-monitoring-events.html
  2. TonyStark0122 👍 9
    The most appropriate way for the data engineer to invoke the Lambda function to write load statuses to the DynamoDB table is: B. Use the Amazon Redshift Data API to publish an event to Amazon EventBridge. Configure an EventBridge rule to invoke the Lambda function. Explanation: Option B leverages the Amazon Redshift Data API to publish events to Amazon EventBridge, which provides a serverless event bus service for handling events across AWS services. By configuring an EventBridge rule to invoke the Lambda function in response to events published by the Redshift Data API, the data engineer can ensure that the Lambda function is triggered whenever there is a new transaction data load in Amazon Redshift. This approach offers a straightforward and scalable solution for tracking table load statuses without relying on additional Lambda functions or services.
  3. altonh 👍 2 Answered D
    The statement in B is inaccurate. You don't 'use Amazon Redshift Data API to publish' event to EventBridge. Redshift Data API has no function to write to EventBridge. Instead, the statement should be "Use EventBridge to monitor Data API events..." Perhaps this is a typo. But if I assume there are no typos in all the statements, then I would go for D. Although not a perfect solution, the cloud trail events have more info than the Redshift Data API events.
  4. pypelyncar 👍 1
    Im not 100% sure of B or C, this is a tricky question. The reason is due to either SQS or EventBridge has not direct connection natively speaking to Redshift Data API. There is no way to publish events by itself. So, this means either SQS / EventBridge eventually need a "proxy" (e.g lambda function) in order to publish events or process events to this 2 sources. In both services we need something to publish those events from Redshift. so Yes, we need a lamda function between Redshift Data API and (SQS|EB). so either B,C doesnt seem to be 100% right. I think this question its a good candidate to be "Choose two options" but none has 100% right. Both are valid considering that there is an adapter function between 2 solutions.
  5. MephiboshethGumani 👍 1 Answered B
    the data engineer should use Amazon EventBridge (formerly CloudWatch Events) to trigger the Lambda function based on a schedule or events that correspond to the completion of the data load process in Amazon Redshift.
Show 2 more comments
  1. John2025 👍 1
    Why not used SQS to keep API change in the Queue ?
  2. taxo 👍 1
    This job doesn’t need a real time check

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