DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company uses Amazon Redshift for analytics. They notice that some queries are slow due to data redistribution. The data engineer wants to minimize data movement across nodes. Which table design strategy should be used? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse distribution keys with sort keys, thinking that sorting alone can reduce data movement, or they assume AUTO distribution always optimizes for joins, when in fact it may default to EVEN or ALL without guaranteeing collocation for specific join patterns.
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
✓
Choose a distribution key that matches the join key for large tables.
When large tables are joined on their distribution keys, Redshift can perform a collocated join, meaning the matching rows are already on the same node slice, eliminating the need to redistribute data across the network. This directly minimizes data movement and speeds up query execution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set the distribution style to AUTO for all tables.
Why it's wrong here
AUTO lets Redshift decide, may not minimize redistribution.
- ✗
Define compound sort keys on frequently filtered columns.
Why it's wrong here
Sort keys improve range-restricted scans, not redistribution.
- ✓
Choose a distribution key that matches the join key for large tables.
Why this is correct
Matching distribution keys on joined tables keeps data co-located.
- ✗
Use EVEN distribution for all tables.
Why it's wrong here
EVEN distributes rows evenly but does not reduce redistribution.
- ✓
Use distribution style ALL for small dimension tables.
Why this is correct
ALL replicates the table to all nodes, avoiding redistribution.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,711 original DEA-C01 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.