DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A company uses Amazon DynamoDB as a source for an AWS Glue job. The job reads a large table using a DynamoDB export to S3 feature. The job is failing with 'ThrottlingException' from DynamoDB. What should the data engineer do to resolve this issue WITHOUT changing the job's logic?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume the only way to resolve DynamoDB throttling is to increase RCUs (Option D) or reduce parallelism (Option B), missing the fact that the export-to-S3 feature completely eliminates the need to read from DynamoDB during the Glue job, which is the most efficient and cost-effective solution without altering job logic.
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
✓
Use the DynamoDB export to S3 feature and read the exported data from S3
The DynamoDB export to S3 feature creates a point-in-time snapshot of the table data in S3 without consuming any read capacity units (RCUs) from the DynamoDB table. By reading the exported data from S3 instead of directly scanning the DynamoDB table, the Glue job avoids triggering ThrottlingException entirely, as the export operation uses the table's backup and restore mechanism, not the read path. This resolves the issue without altering the job's logic, as the job can be reconfigured to read from the S3 export location.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use DynamoDB Streams to capture changes and process them incrementally
Why it's wrong here
Streams are for real-time changes, not for a full table scan; also requires code changes.
- ✗
Reduce the number of DynamoDB read segments in the Glue job
Why it's wrong here
Reducing segments lowers parallelism, which may reduce throttling but also slows the job.
- ✓
Use the DynamoDB export to S3 feature and read the exported data from S3
Why this is correct
Export to S3 reads from the table without consuming RCU, avoiding throttling entirely.
- ✗
Increase the read capacity units (RCU) of the DynamoDB table
Why it's wrong here
This may reduce throttling but increases cost and does not leverage the export feature.
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
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