- A
Increase the number of DPUs allocated to the Glue job to enable more parallelism.
Increasing DPUs can improve parallelism and reduce job duration if the workload is parallelizable and DPUs are underutilized.
- B
Switch from batch processing to streaming using AWS Glue Streaming.
Why wrong: Switching to streaming is not suitable for scheduled batch jobs and would not improve performance; it is a different processing pattern.
- C
Enable job bookmarks to skip already processed data more efficiently.
Why wrong: Job bookmarks are already used for incremental processing; they prevent reprocessing but do not directly affect job speed.
- D
Decrease the number of DPUs to reduce resource contention.
Why wrong: Decreasing DPUs would reduce parallelism, likely increasing job duration, which is the opposite of the desired outcome.
Improving AWS Glue Job Performance by Increasing DPUs
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 uses AWS Glue to run ETL jobs that transform data from an Amazon S3 bucket (raw) to another S3 bucket (curated). The jobs run on a schedule and process data incrementally. The data engineer notices that the jobs are taking longer to complete each day, and the job metrics show that the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) is underutilized. The engineer wants to improve job performance. What should the data engineer do?
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 DPUs allocated to the Glue job to enable more parallelism.
Option A is correct because increasing the number of DPUs can improve parallelism and reduce job duration when the workload is parallelizable and DPUs are underutilized. Option B is wrong because AWS Glue Streaming is designed for real-time data, not scheduled batch processing, and would not address the performance issue. Option C is wrong because job bookmarks are already used for incremental processing and do not directly impact job speed. Option D is wrong because decreasing DPUs would reduce parallelism and likely increase job duration.
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.
- ✓
Increase the number of DPUs allocated to the Glue job to enable more parallelism.
Why this is correct
Increasing DPUs can improve parallelism and reduce job duration if the workload is parallelizable and DPUs are underutilized.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Switch from batch processing to streaming using AWS Glue Streaming.
Why it's wrong here
Switching to streaming is not suitable for scheduled batch jobs and would not improve performance; it is a different processing pattern.
- ✗
Enable job bookmarks to skip already processed data more efficiently.
Why it's wrong here
Job bookmarks are already used for incremental processing; they prevent reprocessing but do not directly affect job speed.
- ✗
Decrease the number of DPUs to reduce resource contention.
Why it's wrong here
Decreasing DPUs would reduce parallelism, likely increasing job duration, which is the opposite of the desired outcome.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
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: Increase the number of DPUs allocated to the Glue job to enable more parallelism. — Option A is correct because increasing the number of DPUs can improve parallelism and reduce job duration when the workload is parallelizable and DPUs are underutilized. Option B is wrong because AWS Glue Streaming is designed for real-time data, not scheduled batch processing, and would not address the performance issue. Option C is wrong because job bookmarks are already used for incremental processing and do not directly impact job speed. Option D is wrong because decreasing DPUs would reduce parallelism and likely increase job duration.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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