The answer is to modify the DMS task settings to increase MaxFileSize and decrease the CommitRate. This configuration directly addresses large transaction handling during CDC by allowing DMS to write larger transaction log files while committing changes more frequently, preventing the task from stalling or falling behind when processing oversized source transactions. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of DMS task-level tuning parameters rather than infrastructure scaling—a common trap is assuming that simply resizing the replication instance will solve CDC lag, but large transactions require buffer and commit adjustments. Remember the memory tip: "Big logs, small commits" to keep CDC on track.
DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is using AWS DMS to migrate a 5 TB SQL Server database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The migration is using full load plus CDC. After the full load completes, the ongoing replication task is failing with errors related to large transactions on the source. The team needs to ensure that CDC continues without falling behind. What should the team do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Modify the DMS task settings to increase MaxFileSize and decrease the CommitRate.
Option B is correct because increasing the MaxFileSize and reducing CommitRate in the DMS task settings allows DMS to handle large transactions by committing more frequently and using larger log files. Option A is wrong because increasing the instance size helps but does not directly address large transaction handling. Option C is wrong because disabling foreign keys is a schema change, not a CDC fix. Option D is wrong because DMS cannot replicate to Kinesis as a target for CDC to Aurora.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Streams as an intermediate target for CDC.
Why it's wrong here
DMS cannot replicate to Kinesis for this purpose.
✗
Increase the DMS replication instance size to provide more memory and CPU.
Why it's wrong here
Helps but does not solve large transaction issue directly.
✓
Modify the DMS task settings to increase MaxFileSize and decrease the CommitRate.
Why this is correct
Allows DMS to break down large transactions into smaller commits.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Disable foreign key constraints on the target Aurora database.
Why it's wrong here
Does not affect CDC replication performance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Data Ingestion and Transformation — This question tests Data Ingestion and Transformation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Modify the DMS task settings to increase MaxFileSize and decrease the CommitRate. — Option B is correct because increasing the MaxFileSize and reducing CommitRate in the DMS task settings allows DMS to handle large transactions by committing more frequently and using larger log files. Option A is wrong because increasing the instance size helps but does not directly address large transaction handling. Option C is wrong because disabling foreign keys is a schema change, not a CDC fix. Option D is wrong because DMS cannot replicate to Kinesis as a target for CDC to Aurora.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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