DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer is managing an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instance that serves as a source for change data capture (CDC) using AWS DMS. The DMS task is a full load followed by ongoing replication. The full load completed successfully, but the ongoing replication is failing with the error 'Value too long for character type'. The engineer has verified that the target database schema matches the source. The source table has a VARCHAR(256) column, and the target has VARCHAR(256) as well. However, some source rows contain values longer than 256 characters. What should the engineer do to resolve the issue?
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
✓
Alter the target table column to a larger data type, such as VARCHAR(512).
The error indicates that source data exceeds the column length. The source column definition may not enforce the length, or the data was inserted bypassing constraints. The engineer should alter the target column to a larger size, such as VARCHAR(512), to accommodate the actual data. Option A is wrong because truncating data may cause data loss. Option B is wrong because renaming would cause mapping issues. Option C is wrong because the error is not about character set; using CLOB may not be compatible with the CDC process and would change the data type.
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 DMS task to truncate data that exceeds the column length.
Why it's wrong here
Truncation causes data loss.
- ✗
Rename the target column to match a different source column.
Why it's wrong here
This would break the mapping.
- ✗
Change the target column to a CLOB data type.
Why it's wrong here
CLOB may not be appropriate and could cause other issues.
- ✓
Alter the target table column to a larger data type, such as VARCHAR(512).
Why this is correct
Resolves the length mismatch.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This DEA-C01 question is part of Courseiva's 1,711-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. 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.