- A
Modify the Lambda function to use DynamoDB BatchWriteItem to write records in batches of 25.
BatchWriteItem reduces the number of write API calls, lowering the effective WCU consumption per record and reducing throttling.
- B
Increase the Lambda function's reserved concurrency to 1000.
Why wrong: More concurrent Lambda invocations increase the write rate to DynamoDB, worsening throttling.
- C
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes to allow more time for retries.
Why wrong: Retries do not reduce the overall write rate; they may even increase it due to retry traffic.
- D
Increase the Lambda batch size to 500 and reduce the batching window to 30 seconds.
Why wrong: Larger batch size means Lambda processes more records per invocation, but writing individually still consumes the same WCU per record.
Quick Answer
The answer is to modify the Lambda function to use DynamoDB BatchWriteItem to write records in batches of 25. This approach directly addresses the WriteProvisionedThroughputExceededException by reducing the number of individual API calls, as each batch of up to 25 items consumes the same total write capacity units (WCU) as writing them separately but with far less request overhead, effectively lowering the burst rate of consumed WCU per second. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of DynamoDB write optimization patterns and the distinction between consumed WCU and request rate—a common trap is assuming that increasing Lambda batch size or concurrency will help, but those only change invocation patterns, not the underlying write request count. The key insight is that BatchWriteItem consolidates writes into fewer, more efficient operations, allowing you to stay within the 5000 WCU provision without raising it. Memory tip: think "batch to beat the burst"—batching reduces the number of write requests, not the total data written, which is the real throttle trigger.
DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company runs a data pipeline that ingests streaming data from an IoT fleet into Amazon Kinesis Data Streams (KDS) with 50 shards. A Lambda function processes records from the stream and writes them to an Amazon DynamoDB table for real-time analytics. The Lambda function is configured with a batch size of 100 and a maximum batching window of 60 seconds. Recently, the company has been seeing an increasing number of 'WriteProvisionedThroughputExceededException' errors from DynamoDB, causing Lambda to retry and eventually send records to a dead-letter queue (DLQ). The DynamoDB table is provisioned with 5000 read capacity units (RCU) and 5000 write capacity units (WCU). The average item size is 1 KB. The KDS stream receives an average of 8000 records per second, each 2 KB in size. The Lambda function performs a simple transformation and writes each record individually to DynamoDB. The company wants to reduce the throttling errors without increasing the DynamoDB WCU provision. Which course of action is most likely to achieve this?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
Modify the Lambda function to use DynamoDB BatchWriteItem to write records in batches of 25.
Option A is correct because writing records in batches using DynamoDB's BatchWriteItem API reduces the number of write requests, lowering the consumed WCU per request (since each batch consumes WCU for all items but with fewer API calls, reducing overhead). This can reduce throttling without increasing WCU. Option B is wrong because increasing Lambda batch size would cause more records to be processed per invocation, but if each record is still written individually, the number of write requests remains the same. Option C is wrong because increasing Lambda concurrency would increase the number of concurrent invocations, potentially increasing throttling. Option D is wrong because increasing Lambda timeout does not affect the rate of writes.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Modify the Lambda function to use DynamoDB BatchWriteItem to write records in batches of 25.
Why this is correct
BatchWriteItem reduces the number of write API calls, lowering the effective WCU consumption per record and reducing throttling.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function's reserved concurrency to 1000.
Why it's wrong here
More concurrent Lambda invocations increase the write rate to DynamoDB, worsening throttling.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes to allow more time for retries.
Why it's wrong here
Retries do not reduce the overall write rate; they may even increase it due to retry traffic.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda batch size to 500 and reduce the batching window to 30 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
Larger batch size means Lambda processes more records per invocation, but writing individually still consumes the same WCU per record.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Data Operations and Support — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
Data Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Modify the Lambda function to use DynamoDB BatchWriteItem to write records in batches of 25. — Option A is correct because writing records in batches using DynamoDB's BatchWriteItem API reduces the number of write requests, lowering the consumed WCU per request (since each batch consumes WCU for all items but with fewer API calls, reducing overhead). This can reduce throttling without increasing WCU. Option B is wrong because increasing Lambda batch size would cause more records to be processed per invocation, but if each record is still written individually, the number of write requests remains the same. Option C is wrong because increasing Lambda concurrency would increase the number of concurrent invocations, potentially increasing throttling. Option D is wrong because increasing Lambda timeout does not affect the rate of writes.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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