Both query large datasets, but they suit different workloads, and the DEA-C01 tests the cost/usage trade-off.
Ad-hoc vs sustained
Athena is serverless, queries S3 directly, and charges per query — perfect for occasional, ad-hoc analysis with no infrastructure. Redshift is a provisioned warehouse — best for heavy, repeated BI workloads running all day, where a running cluster is more cost-effective and faster than paying per query. Occasional queries → Athena. Constant heavy BI → Redshift.
Test yourself
An analyst runs a few ad-hoc SQL queries per week against data in S3 and wants no infrastructure to manage or pay for when idle. Which service?
- Amazon Redshift
- Amazon Athena
- Amazon EMR
- Amazon RDS
👉 Click to reveal the answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Athena is serverless, queries S3 directly, and charges only per query — ideal for occasional ad-hoc analysis. Redshift (A) is a paid-while-running cluster better for constant workloads; EMR (C) and RDS (D) don’t fit ad-hoc S3 SQL.
Related topics
Amazon Athena · Amazon Redshift · Redshift Spectrum
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