DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer receives an alert that a Kinesis Data Stream has a 'WriteProvisionedThroughputExceeded' error. The stream has 5 shards with 1 MB/s write capacity per shard. The producer application is sending data at 8 MB/s sustained. What should the engineer do to resolve the issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse write-side throttling with read-side limitations, leading them to choose enhanced fan-out (a read-side optimization) instead of scaling shards to increase write capacity.
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
✓
Increase the number of shards from 5 to 10.
The 'WriteProvisionedThroughputExceeded' error indicates that the total write throughput to the Kinesis Data Stream exceeds the provisioned capacity. With 5 shards, each offering 1 MB/s write capacity, the total write capacity is 5 MB/s. The producer is sending 8 MB/s, which is above this limit. Increasing the number of shards to 10 raises the total write capacity to 10 MB/s, accommodating the sustained 8 MB/s throughput and resolving the throttling.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reduce the record size to below 1 MB per record.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing record size may help per-shard limits, but the total throughput exceeds capacity.
- ✗
Enable enhanced fan-out on the stream.
Why it's wrong here
Enhanced fan-out improves consumer throughput, not producer write capacity.
- ✓
Increase the number of shards from 5 to 10.
Why this is correct
More shards increase the total write capacity, matching the 8 MB/s requirement.
- ✗
Use Kinesis Firehose as an intermediary to buffer data.
Why it's wrong here
Firehose does not increase Kinesis Stream write capacity; it is a delivery service.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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