DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A company is ingesting data from multiple sources into S3 using AWS Glue. The data engineer notices that the Glue job is failing with an OutOfMemory error. Which step should be taken to resolve this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers think they can directly increase memory settings (Option B) or reduce data volume (Option A), but AWS Glue abstracts memory management through DPUs, and the correct approach is to increase DPU allocation to provide more resources.
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 number of DPUs allocated to the Glue job
AWS Glue jobs run on Apache Spark, which distributes data processing across multiple executors. An OutOfMemory error typically indicates that the data being processed exceeds the memory available to the executors. Increasing the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) allocates more memory and compute resources to the job, allowing it to handle larger datasets without running out of memory.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reduce the volume of incoming data
Why it's wrong here
Not a practical solution.
- ✗
Configure the job to use a larger memory setting
Why it's wrong here
Glue does not allow direct memory configuration.
- ✗
Use a smaller file size for input
Why it's wrong here
May not resolve OutOfMemory.
- ✓
Increase the number of DPUs allocated to the Glue job
Why this is correct
More DPUs provide more memory and compute.
Visual reference
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 |
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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.