DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer is using Amazon Kinesis Data Streams to ingest real-time data. The stream has 4 shards and is receiving 2 MB/s of data. The engineer notices that the WriteProvisionedThroughputExceeded metric is increasing. The engineer wants to resolve this issue with minimal changes. What should the engineer do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that adding shards is always the first step, when the actual problem might be uneven data distribution across existing shards.
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 a more random partition key to distribute data evenly across shards.
The WriteProvisionedThroughputExceeded metric indicates that some shards are exceeding their 1 MB/s write capacity. With 4 shards, total capacity is 4 MB/s, which is sufficient for 2 MB/s if evenly distributed. The issue is likely hot shards due to a non-uniform partition key. Using a more random partition key, such as a UUID, ensures even distribution and resolves the throttling without adding shards.
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 retention period of the stream to 168 hours.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Retention period controls how long data is stored, not the write throughput. Changing retention does not affect the stream's ability to ingest data. The error is about exceeding write throughput, so this action would not resolve the issue. This is a common misconception that longer retention improves performance.
- ✗
Enable enhanced fan-out for the stream.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Enhanced fan-out is a feature for consumers to get dedicated throughput, not for producers. It does not increase the write capacity of the stream. The WriteProvisionedThroughputExceeded metric is related to write operations, so enhanced fan-out would not help. This option is a distractor because it sounds like a scaling feature but applies to reads.
- ✗
Increase the number of shards in the stream to 8.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Increasing shards is a valid scaling action, but it is not minimal and may not address the root cause if the issue is due to hot shards or inefficient partition keys. The WriteProvisionedThroughputExceeded metric indicates that the stream's ingest capacity is exceeded, but with 4 shards, the capacity is 4 MB/s, which is above the 2 MB/s incoming rate. The problem is likely uneven distribution across shards.
- ✓
Use a more random partition key to distribute data evenly across shards.
Why this is correct
Correct. With 4 shards, the stream can handle up to 4 MB/s (1 MB/s per shard). Since the incoming rate is 2 MB/s, the throughput exceedance suggests that data is not evenly distributed, causing some shards to hit their 1 MB/s limit. Using a more random partition key, such as a UUID, distributes records evenly, resolving the issue without adding shards.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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.