The correct action is to change the worker type to G.2X (32 GB memory), as this directly resolves the AWS Glue OutOfMemoryError Java heap space by doubling the memory per worker. When a 50 GB Parquet file is processed on a G.1X DPU with only 16 GB, the default memory allocation for the Java heap is insufficient for in-memory transformations and shuffle operations, causing the heap to overflow. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that scaling vertically (worker type) addresses memory limits, whereas scaling horizontally (worker count) only adds more workers with the same insufficient memory per node—a common trap. Remember that increasing batch size or converting to JSON would worsen memory pressure, not fix it. Memory tip: think “G.2X = double the heap, double the peace.”
DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 data engineer is troubleshooting an AWS Glue ETL job that fails with a 'java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space' error. The job processes a 50 GB Parquet file from an S3 bucket. The job uses a G.1X DPU (16 GB memory) and default parameters. Which action should the engineer take to resolve the issue?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the worker type to G.2X (32 GB memory).
Option B is correct because increasing the number of DPUs (e.g., to G.2X with 32 GB) provides more memory per worker, directly addressing the heap space error. Option A is wrong because increasing worker count without increasing worker type may not help if each worker still has insufficient memory. Option C is wrong because increasing batch size could increase memory pressure. Option D is wrong because converting to JSON typically increases file size and memory usage.
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.
✓
Change the worker type to G.2X (32 GB memory).
Why this is correct
Doubling the memory per worker resolves the heap space error without changing the number of workers.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the number of workers from 2 to 4.
Why it's wrong here
Adding more workers of the same type does not increase memory per worker; the job may still fail on a single worker.
✗
Increase the 'batch size' parameter in the DynamicFrame reader.
Why it's wrong here
Larger batches increase per-worker memory consumption, worsening the problem.
✗
Convert the input data from Parquet to JSON format.
Why it's wrong here
JSON is less efficient and typically uses more memory than Parquet, making the issue worse.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Data Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Change the worker type to G.2X (32 GB memory). — Option B is correct because increasing the number of DPUs (e.g., to G.2X with 32 GB) provides more memory per worker, directly addressing the heap space error. Option A is wrong because increasing worker count without increasing worker type may not help if each worker still has insufficient memory. Option C is wrong because increasing batch size could increase memory pressure. Option D is wrong because converting to JSON typically increases file size and memory usage.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A data engineer is troubleshooting an AWS Glue job that fails with 'java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space'. The job processes a large dataset. Which TWO configuration changes should the engineer consider to resolve this issue? (Choose TWO.)
medium
A.Change the output format from Parquet to CSV.
✓ B.Increase the Spark shuffle partitions configuration (spark.sql.shuffle.partitions).
C.Reduce the number of partitions in the source data.
✓ D.Increase the number of DPUs allocated to the Glue job.
E.Disable job bookmarks to avoid incremental processing.
Why B: Options A and B are correct. A: Increasing the number of DPUs provides more memory for the job. B: Increasing the Spark shuffle partitions reduces the amount of data shuffled per partition, reducing memory pressure. Option C is wrong because reducing the number of partitions in the source data may increase partition size. Option D is wrong because using a different data format does not directly address heap space. Option E is wrong because disabling job bookmark may cause reprocessing but not fix memory.
Variation 2. A data engineer is troubleshooting an AWS Glue ETL job that fails with a memory error when processing a large dataset. Which approach can help reduce memory usage?
easy
A.Set the job to use only one worker
B.Reduce the number of partitions in the data source
✓ C.Increase the number of workers for the job
D.Increase the worker type to G.2X
Why C: Option C is correct because increasing the number of workers distributes the workload and reduces memory pressure per worker. Option A is wrong because increasing worker type may not be cost-effective and might not solve memory issues if parallelism is low. Option B is wrong because reducing partitions can actually increase memory usage per partition. Option D is wrong because using only one worker would worsen the memory issue.
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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.
Question Discussion
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