DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company runs a data warehouse on Amazon Redshift. Queries are slow, and the team suspects data distribution is skewed. Which approach would best help identify distribution skew?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse table-level metadata (SVV_TABLE_INFO) with slice-level distribution data (SVV_DISKUSAGE), assuming overall table size alone can reveal skew, when in fact only per-slice block counts expose uneven data distribution.
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
✓
Query the SVV_DISKUSAGE table to examine data distribution across slices
The SVV_DISKUSAGE table provides per-slice data distribution information, allowing you to identify skew by comparing the number of blocks allocated to each slice for a given table. In Amazon Redshift, data is distributed across slices based on the distribution key, and significant variation in block counts across slices indicates distribution skew, which can cause query performance degradation due to uneven workload distribution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Check the STL_LOAD_ERRORS table for load failures
Why it's wrong here
Load errors do not indicate skew.
- ✗
Query the SVV_TABLE_INFO table to see table size
Why it's wrong here
SVV_TABLE_INFO shows table size, not distribution across slices.
- ✓
Query the SVV_DISKUSAGE table to examine data distribution across slices
Why this is correct
SVV_DISKUSAGE provides per-slice disk usage, helping identify skew.
- ✗
Review the WLM configuration in the parameter group
Why it's wrong here
WLM manages query queues, not data distribution.
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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.