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
The stream ingests 5 MB/s across five shards while the producer sustains 8 MB/s, so throughput exceeds capacity regardless of individual record size; records are already far below the 1 MB limit. It is tempting because oversized records trigger the same error, but here the fix is adding shards to raise aggregate write capacity.
- ✗
Enable enhanced fan-out on the stream.
Why it's wrong here
Enhanced fan-out increases read throughput to consumers at 2 MB/s per shard; it does not raise the 1 MB/s per shard write limit, so the 8 MB/s producer still exceeds the 5 MB/s total. It is tempting because it addresses throughput errors generally, but it applies to consumers, not producers; adding shards is required.
- ✓
Increase the number of shards from 5 to 10.
Why this is correct
The producer writes 8 MB/s while five shards provide only 5 MB/s aggregate, causing WriteProvisionedThroughputExceeded. Doubling to ten shards raises capacity to 10 MB/s, comfortably absorbing the sustained 8 MB/s load and clearing the error.
- ✗
Use Kinesis Firehose as an intermediary to buffer data.
Why it's wrong here
Firehose buffers and batches records but still writes into the same 5-shard stream, so the 8 MB/s producer load against 5 MB/s capacity remains unresolved. Firehose suits delivering stream data to S3, Redshift or OpenSearch without custom consumers, not absorbing throughput beyond a stream's provisioned shard limit.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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