DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. CloudWatch Logs Log Group: /aws/lambda/my-data-processor Log Stream: 2025/01/15/[$LATEST]123456789abc Log event: 2025-01-15T10:00:00.000Z 123456789abc ERROR Task timed out after 30.00 seconds 2025-01-15T10:00:00.000Z 123456789abc END RequestId: f1234567 2025-01-15T10:00:00.000Z 123456789abc REPORT RequestId: f1234567 Duration: 30001.23 ms Billed Duration: 30000 ms Memory Size: 128 MB Max Memory Used: 64 MB
A data engineer sees the CloudWatch log entry in the exhibit for a Lambda function that processes data from an Amazon SQS queue. What is the MOST likely cause of the timeout?
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
✓
The Lambda function's timeout is too short for the processing required.
The CloudWatch log shows the Lambda function timed out after 30 seconds (duration 30001.23 ms), which is the default timeout. Increasing the timeout allows the function to complete its processing. Option A is incorrect because reserved concurrency affects throughput, not a single function's timeout. Option B is incorrect because memory usage is low (64 MB out of 128 MB), so memory is not the issue. Option D is incorrect because the SQS visibility timeout controls how long a message is hidden after being picked up, but the Lambda timeout is independent.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The Lambda function's reserved concurrency is set too low.
Why it's wrong here
Concurrency limits cause throttling, not timeouts.
- ✗
The Lambda function is running out of memory.
Why it's wrong here
Max Memory Used is 64 MB, well below the 128 MB limit.
- ✓
The Lambda function's timeout is too short for the processing required.
Why this is correct
The function timed out at exactly the 30-second limit.
- ✗
The SQS queue's visibility timeout is set too low.
Why it's wrong here
Visibility timeout affects message re-delivery, not Lambda execution duration.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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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.