This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. 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 uses Amazon Redshift for data warehousing. The data engineering team notices that queries are slow due to high disk I/O. The team wants to improve query performance without changing the cluster configuration. Which action should the team take?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Redesign tables with appropriate sort keys and distribution styles.
Redesigning tables with appropriate sort keys and distribution styles directly addresses high disk I/O by minimizing data scanning and reducing data movement across nodes. Sort keys enable Redshift to skip irrelevant blocks via zone maps, while distribution styles (KEY, ALL, EVEN) optimize data locality for joins and aggregations, reducing I/O without changing cluster configuration.
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.
✗
Increase the number of nodes in the cluster.
Why it's wrong here
This changes the cluster configuration, which is not allowed per the question.
✓
Redesign tables with appropriate sort keys and distribution styles.
Why this is correct
Proper sort keys and distribution can minimize data scanning and reduce I/O.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Run the ANALYZE command to update table statistics.
Why it's wrong here
ANALYZE updates statistics but does not reduce I/O.
✗
Run the VACUUM command to reclaim disk space.
Why it's wrong here
Vacuum reclaims space but does not reduce I/O for queries.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse maintenance commands (ANALYZE, VACUUM) with design changes, or think scaling out (adding nodes) is allowed when the question explicitly forbids changing cluster configuration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Redshift stores data in 1 MB blocks on each node slice, and zone maps track min/max values per block for each column. A well-chosen sort key allows the query engine to skip entire blocks during scans, drastically reducing I/O. Distribution styles control how rows are distributed across slices; for example, using DISTKEY on a frequently joined column ensures co-located joins, avoiding costly redistribution (broadcast or shuffle) that generates network and disk I/O.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Redesign tables with appropriate sort keys and distribution styles. — Redesigning tables with appropriate sort keys and distribution styles directly addresses high disk I/O by minimizing data scanning and reducing data movement across nodes. Sort keys enable Redshift to skip irrelevant blocks via zone maps, while distribution styles (KEY, ALL, EVEN) optimize data locality for joins and aggregations, reducing I/O without changing cluster configuration.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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