DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A company is ingesting Apache logs from multiple web servers into AWS. The logs are sent via Amazon CloudWatch Logs to a subscription filter that delivers to a Lambda function. The Lambda function parses the logs and writes to Amazon S3. However, there is a significant backlog. Which THREE actions can reduce the backlog?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'reserved concurrency' with 'maximum concurrency' or think that adding an SQS queue always improves throughput, when in fact it can add latency and does not address the root cause of slow per-invocation processing.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the Lambda function memory allocation
Increasing the Lambda function's memory allocation also increases its CPU allocation, allowing the function to process each log event faster. This reduces the per-invocation processing time, enabling the function to handle more log data per unit time and thus reduce the backlog.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Route the CloudWatch Logs subscription to an Amazon SQS queue first
Why it's wrong here
Adds latency and complexity, not directly reducing backlog.
- ✓
Increase the Lambda function memory allocation
Why this is correct
More memory also increases CPU, speeding up processing.
- ✓
Increase the Lambda function reserved concurrency
Why this is correct
Ensures enough concurrent executions.
- ✗
Change the Lambda function runtime from Python to Node.js
Why it's wrong here
Minor difference; not a primary fix.
- ✓
Increase the Lambda function maximum concurrency (unreserved account concurrency)
Why this is correct
Or increase unreserved concurrency if limit is hit.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DEA-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DEA-C01 exam.