Introduction to Designing Data Lakes on AWS by Amazon Web Services via Edx: Fee, Duration, How to Apply

Quick Facts

particular	details
Medium of instructions English	Mode of learning Self study	Mode of Delivery Video and Text Based	Learning efforts 1-4 Hours Per Week

Course overview

This course by edX has been designed keeping in mind the challenges faced while dealing with data lakes. It can be attributed to the quantum of data and its growth over time. Thus, judicious steps need to be employed to avoid prevalent mistakes. With this aspect serving as a foundation stone, this program will address key challenges.

To begin with, the founding principles of Data Lakes are introduced followed by the organization of the data, which subsequently leads to its refining. The teachings of this program are targeted at professionals such as IT Administrators and Architects who need to design and maintain Data Lakes for a sustainable and scalable future.

It’s a 5-week programme that seeks student input of 1 to 4 hours per week. This intermediate-level course is presented in English and has the advantage of being self-paced. Thus, working professionals can decide on their choice of learning hours. 1 to 3 years of experience as a Software Engineer is a must.

This particular course on edX has 2 tracks namely audit and verified both of which is enrolled for shall be completed in may be opted for by a candidate for enrolling. Both the tracks have an instructor-led mode but the audit track offers only limited access to the course materials without any cost and provides no certificate of completion. The verified track offers unlimited access and also offers certification of completion only if the candidates are interested in paying a fee.

Course and certificate fees

Type of course

Free

This section is only applicable for students who decide to pursue the verified track

Type of Fee	Amount in INR
Certification Fee	Rs.17,452

certificate availability

Yes

certificate providing authority

Amazon Web Services

certificate fees

₹17,452

Who it is for

Software developer

The Introduction to designing Data Lakes on AWS program will add value to the people in the following strata of their careers:

Recent software developers looking to add-on an industrial skill to their professional resume for better job prospects
Programmers looking to get access to the founding principles associated with designing Data Lakes without the need for certification

Eligibility criteria

Work experience

1 to 3 years of work experience in the Software development arena is a must

Education

Applicants should have finished graduation at the time of application

Certification qualifying details

Weekly quizzes are common for all and allow unlimited retakes. These are ungraded. However, those who opt to receive a Certification at the end will be required to take a course assessment at the end. Clearing that exam will lead to a valid certification

What you will learn

Knowledge of aws technology

The Introduction to designing Data Lakes on AWS will instill the following learnings:

Basic conceptual knowledge associated with Data Lakes, their key traits, and the overall structure that they possess
Get equipped with foundational aspects that explain the differences between a Data Lake and a Data Warehouse with a video as well a reading
Application of the protocols that apply to Data Lakes architectures and how they play out in the larger scheme of operations
Working fundamentals associated with the services associated with AWS Data Lake and the Amazon S3
Incorporate the glue data catalog from Amazon S3 among other important services utilized for data movement
Deep dive into comprehending the basics of Machine learning and Predictive analysis in the context of Amazon Web Services
Develop a robust foundation of glue jobs, kinesis analytics, and EMR through a reading and Lake formation through a video
Equip yourself with key differences between the tools and structures of the Data streaming elements
Put the knowledge of intricate design elements in the formulation of the AWS Transfer family as well as the AWS services
Synthesize file optimizations among various data formats with a combination of videos, readings, and demonstrations

The syllabus

Week 1: Hello World, I mean, Hello Data Lakes!

Video: Meet the Instructors
Video: Introduction to Week 1
Video: Why Data Lakes?
Video: Characteristics of a Data Lake
Video: Data Lake Components
Reading: Data Lake Characteristics and Components
Video: Comparison of a Data Lake to a Data Warehouse
Reading: Data Lakes and Data Warehouses
Video: Discussing sample Data Lake Architectures
Quiz/Assessment: Week 1 quiz

Week 2: AWS data related services

Video: Introduction to Week 2
Video: AWS Data Lake related services
Video: Amazon S3
Video: AWS Glue Data Catalogue
Reading: S3 and Glue Data Catalogue
Video: AWS Services used for data movement
Reading: Kinesis, API Gateway, etc
Video: AWS Services for Data processing
Video: AWS Services for Analytics
Video: AWS Services used for Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
Reading: EMR, Glue Jobs, Lambda, Kinesis Analytics, Redshift
Video: Introduction to AWS Lake Formation
Reading: Lake Formation
Lab: Get familiar with AWS Services and create your first simple data lake

Week 3: Ingesting the rivers

Video: Introduction to Week 3
Video: Use the right tool for the job
Video: Understanding Data Structure and when to process data
Video: Data Streaming ingestion with Amazon Kinesis Services
Video: Diving Deep on Amazon Kinesis
Demo: Batch Data Ingestion with AWS Transfer Family
Reading: Batch Data Ingestion with AWS Services
Video: Data Cataloguing
Demo: Using Glue Crawlers
Reading: The importance of data cataloguing
Video: Reviewing the ingestion part of some Data Lake architectures
Lab: Ingesting Web Logs

Week 4: Processing and Analyzing data that sits in the Data Lake

Video: Introduction to Week 4
Video: Data prep and AWS Glue jobs
Video: File optimizations
Demo: Using S3, Glue, and Athena to get insights about NYC Taxi data
Reading: Glue Jobs, Data Prep, Athena? Columnar Data Formats and Amazon Athena Optimizations
Video: Introduction to Data Lake security
Reading: Security and compliance
Video: The power of data visualization
Video: Introduction to Amazon Quick-Sight
Demo: Amazon Quick-sight
Reading: Data visualization, Amazon Quick-Sight
Video: Registry of Open Data on AWS
Lab: Create an end-to-end data-lake with AWS Services
Video: Course wrap-up!

Admission details

The admission process is explained as follows:

1. Account verification phase

Please find the enrolment option at the top of the page. Clicking on it will lead you to a page that will require you to either Sign in to your edX account or create a new one. A new registration will need your full name, public username, email address, and password. Additionally, you will need to select your country of residence from a drop-down menu.

2. Track selection phase

Once you are logged in to your edX account, you will be presented with two options:

To Pursue the verified track: This is a paid path that leads to a verified certificate at the end. Thus, it radically improves your employment prospects in comparison to those who simply audit the program
To audit the course: This track will allow you free access to the program content and access to discussion forums. However, it does not include graded assignments

Please make a selection from one of the above two options and proceed

3. Payment phase

Depending on your selection from the previous step, this step may or may not apply to you.

If you choose to audit the course, you will be shown the expiration date which is when you would have access to the course and your progress. It will be cleared automatically by the system on that date. However, you will be presented a chance to pay a fee to have unrestricted access to the course
On the other hand, if you choose to pursue the verified track, you will be redirected to a payment page with the total amount due clearly listed. Payments are accepted only by credit cards. They could be MasterCard, Visa, or American Express. Additionally, PayPal is also accepted. Once you have made the payment, you will be taken aboard on the certified path

If you need any assistance, please use the “Help” option at the top of the page. It will open up a new tab where you can search for your query by entering keywords into our database of help topics. You will also find promoted articles at the bottom of the page. Should you not find what you are looking for, you can submit your request by accessing the “Submit a request” option at the far bottom of the page

Scholarship Details

Scholarships don’t apply as it is free to audit this course. It's only if you want a formal certificate that you need to pay

Evaluation process

This section is also applicable to only those students who opt to pursue the certification track of this program. In the verified track, students need to clear an examination at the end to qualify to receive their certification

How it helps

The key benefits are explained as follows:

The foremost benefit of this program is that the faculty that operates the courseware are from the official Amazon Web Services domain and have significant industry experience. The courseware is thus excellent from a learner’s perspective. Rafael Lops is a Partner Solutions Architect while Morgan Willis is a Senior Cloud Technologist. They have had tremendous feedback from alumni over several years of teaching

The second key benefit is the concise duration of the program. This is a 5-week engagement and that is possible only because of the extensive subject matter expertise that the program stakeholders possess. Not only that, the videos, readings, and demonstrations are structured in a way that requires just 1 to 4 hours of effort from the students.

Lastly, the Introduction to designing Data Lakes on AWS does the small things well. This is an intermediate-level program, proctored fully online in the English language. For professionals who would like a smaller footprint, the program can be taken free of cost, thereby allowing customized access. Next, the self-paced nature of this engagement ensures that there is a fairly wide window open for working professionals to upskill themselves

Instructors

Mr Rafael Lopes
Senior Cloud Technologist
Amazon Web Services

Ms Morgan Willis
Senior Cloud Technologist
Amazon Web Services

Other Bachelors

FAQs

Is a credit card mandatory?

Yes, having a functional Credit Card is necessary to activate the Amazon Web Services account. It is only thereafter that you can proceed with the course type selection

How much time should I keep aside for this program?

As a benchmark, you are advised to keep aside 1 to 4 hours per week for an optimum learning experience. However, since this program is self-paced, one can make do with it with a larger weekly commitment as well

Is the certification always offered?

The certification is one of the pathways of this engagement. This is a paid track. It is only if you choose to utilize this path will you become eligible to receive a certification, subject to passing the certification exam at the end

What is the role of discussions in this course?

Each week of the program gets allocated a discussion group. This portal encourages the participants to ask their queries and gives suggestions if any. The AWS moderators will keep a close eye on the development and answer questions

Will this program aid in securing an AWS certification?

Please note that obtaining an AWS certification is a function of one’s knowledge and skills. This program might fulfill a portion of the former but the latter will need to be acquired by professional experience

Is there an entrance examination for this program?

No, the Data Lakes program does not need the applicants to attempt an examination. They are required to review the program objectives and apply if it suits their career goals

Where can we reach out for more help?

Please use the help option at the top right of the page. You will be redirected to a pool of help topics. Furthermore, there is an option to send a help request at the bottom of the page as well

Do we need to be well versed with a programming language?

Not at all. While it is mandatory to have 1 to 3 years of software development experience, one does not need to know a programming language in-depth to gain the most out of this program

For how long is the course access granted?

This depends on if you choose to audit the course or opt for the certification route. For the former, the course access is granted for 6 weeks, while it is unlimited in the latter case. Thus, choose wisely at the time of enrolment

Do the learnings from this course have a bright future?

Yes, the concepts taught in this engagement are useful for recent software development professionals. It has been noted that those choosing to get certified have reported better recruiter reception on professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn

Is there a way to attend a demo class?

This program does not have a demonstration class. However, you can get a fair idea of the program’s objectives by reviewing the course curriculum presented on the program webpage. That will help you in making an informed decision