- A
Modify the Lambda function to use DynamoDB BatchWriteItem to write records in batches of 25.
Why wrong: Correct. Using DynamoDB BatchWriteItem reduces the number of write API calls by batching up to 25 items per request. This reduces request-level overhead and helps stay within the provisioned write capacity by minimizing per-request throttling and leveraging burst capacity more effectively.
- B
Increase the Lambda function's reserved concurrency to 1000.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Increasing Lambda's reserved concurrency allows more concurrent invocations, which increases the number of parallel write requests to DynamoDB. This would likely increase throttling errors since the table is already under-provisioned.
- C
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes to allow more time for retries.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Increasing the Lambda function timeout does not reduce the rate of write requests. It only allows the function to run longer before timing out, but throttling errors occur on each write attempt and are not alleviated by a longer timeout.
- D
Increase the Lambda batch size to 500 and reduce the batching window to 30 seconds.
Incorrect. Increasing the Kinesis batch size to 500 and reducing the batching window to 30 seconds means each Lambda invocation will process more records, but if each record is still written individually to DynamoDB, the total number of write requests per second remains the same. Additionally, more records per invocation increases the likelihood of exceeding the per-request or per-partition write limits, potentially increasing throttling.
DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 runs a data pipeline that ingests streaming data from an IoT fleet into Amazon Kinesis Data Streams (KDS) with 50 shards. A Lambda function processes records from the stream and writes them to an Amazon DynamoDB table for real-time analytics. The Lambda function is configured with a batch size of 100 and a maximum batching window of 60 seconds. Recently, the company has been seeing an increasing number of 'WriteProvisionedThroughputExceededException' errors from DynamoDB, causing Lambda to retry and eventually send records to a dead-letter queue (DLQ). The DynamoDB table is provisioned with 5000 read capacity units (RCU) and 5000 write capacity units (WCU). The average item size is 1 KB. The KDS stream receives an average of 8000 records per second, each 2 KB in size. The Lambda function performs a simple transformation and writes each record individually to DynamoDB. The company wants to reduce the throttling errors without increasing the DynamoDB WCU provision. Which course of action is most likely to achieve this?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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 Lambda batch size to 500 and reduce the batching window to 30 seconds.
Option D is correct because increasing the Lambda batch size to 500 reduces the number of Lambda invocations per second from approximately 80 to 16, and reducing the batching window to 30 seconds helps spread writes more evenly across time. This lowers the concurrency of write operations to DynamoDB, which can reduce the frequency of 'WriteProvisionedThroughputExceededException' errors by staying within the provisioned 5000 WCU more consistently, even though the total write capacity required (16000 WCU) exceeds provisioned. Options A and B do not reduce the write load—batching writes (A) still consumes the same WCU, and increasing concurrency (B) worsens throttling. Option C is irrelevant as timeout does not affect write rate.
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.
- ✗
Modify the Lambda function to use DynamoDB BatchWriteItem to write records in batches of 25.
Why it's wrong here
Correct. Using DynamoDB BatchWriteItem reduces the number of write API calls by batching up to 25 items per request. This reduces request-level overhead and helps stay within the provisioned write capacity by minimizing per-request throttling and leveraging burst capacity more effectively.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function's reserved concurrency to 1000.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Increasing Lambda's reserved concurrency allows more concurrent invocations, which increases the number of parallel write requests to DynamoDB. This would likely increase throttling errors since the table is already under-provisioned.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes to allow more time for retries.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Increasing the Lambda function timeout does not reduce the rate of write requests. It only allows the function to run longer before timing out, but throttling errors occur on each write attempt and are not alleviated by a longer timeout.
- ✓
Increase the Lambda batch size to 500 and reduce the batching window to 30 seconds.
Why this is correct
Incorrect. Increasing the Kinesis batch size to 500 and reducing the batching window to 30 seconds means each Lambda invocation will process more records, but if each record is still written individually to DynamoDB, the total number of write requests per second remains the same. Additionally, more records per invocation increases the likelihood of exceeding the per-request or per-partition write limits, potentially increasing throttling.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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 |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
Data Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the Lambda batch size to 500 and reduce the batching window to 30 seconds. — Option D is correct because increasing the Lambda batch size to 500 reduces the number of Lambda invocations per second from approximately 80 to 16, and reducing the batching window to 30 seconds helps spread writes more evenly across time. This lowers the concurrency of write operations to DynamoDB, which can reduce the frequency of 'WriteProvisionedThroughputExceededException' errors by staying within the provisioned 5000 WCU more consistently, even though the total write capacity required (16000 WCU) exceeds provisioned. Options A and B do not reduce the write load—batching writes (A) still consumes the same WCU, and increasing concurrency (B) worsens throttling. Option C is irrelevant as timeout does not affect write rate.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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