DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer manages an Amazon Redshift cluster that hosts a 10 TB data warehouse. The cluster uses a single node of type dc2.large (160 GB SSD). The engineer notices that the cluster's disk space is 95% full, and queries are running slowly. The engineer runs the STV_PARTITIONS view and sees that many slices have high 'tossed' counts. The engineer also runs VACUUM and ANALYZE commands, but the disk space does not improve. The engineer suspects that the cluster needs more storage. However, the company wants to minimize cost. Which action should the engineer take to resolve the disk space issue most cost-effectively?
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
✓
Replace the cluster with a single ds2.xlarge node.
The current cluster uses a single dc2.large node with only 160 GB SSD, which is nearly full. Replacing it with a single ds2.xlarge node provides 2 TB HDD storage, offering a significant capacity increase at a lower cost per GB compared to other options. Option A is wrong because switching to RA3 nodes introduces managed storage with higher costs and is unnecessary for this capacity need. Option C is wrong because scaling to a single dc2.8xlarge node provides 2.56 TB SSD but is more expensive than the ds2.xlarge option. Option D is wrong because adding another dc2.large node only doubles the storage to 320 GB, which may not be sufficient and still leaves the cluster with limited SSD capacity, while also increasing CPU and memory unnecessarily.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Switch to a ra3.xlplus node with managed storage.
Why it's wrong here
RA3 nodes have a higher base cost and are optimized for separating compute and storage, not purely for storage expansion.
- ✓
Replace the cluster with a single ds2.xlarge node.
Why this is correct
ds2.xlarge provides 2 TB HDD storage at a lower cost than dc2 options, solving the disk space issue.
- ✗
Scale the cluster to a single dc2.8xlarge node.
Why it's wrong here
dc2.8xlarge has 2.56 TB SSD but is more expensive than ds2.xlarge.
- ✗
Add another dc2.large node to the cluster to increase total storage.
Why it's wrong here
Adding nodes increases storage but also cost; a single ds2.xlarge may be cheaper for the same storage.
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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.