- A
Reduce the Firehose buffer interval.
Why wrong: Reducing buffer interval may cause more small batches but does not fix timeout.
- B
Increase the Lambda function timeout setting.
Extending timeout allows more time for processing.
- C
Decrease the Lambda function's batch size in Firehose.
Why wrong: Batch size is controlled by Firehose, not Lambda configuration.
- D
Increase the memory allocated to the Lambda function.
Why wrong: Timeout is a duration issue, not memory.
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 data engineer is troubleshooting a Kinesis Data Firehose delivery stream that is failing to deliver data to an Amazon S3 bucket. The stream is configured with a Lambda transformation function. The CloudWatch logs show that the Lambda function is timing out. Which action should the engineer take to resolve the issue?
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 function timeout setting.
The CloudWatch logs indicate the Lambda function is timing out. The default Lambda timeout for a Firehose transformation is 60 seconds, and if the function's processing exceeds this limit, it will fail. Increasing the Lambda function timeout setting (Option B) directly addresses this by allowing the function more time to complete its execution before being terminated.
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.
- ✗
Reduce the Firehose buffer interval.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing buffer interval may cause more small batches but does not fix timeout.
- ✓
Increase the Lambda function timeout setting.
Why this is correct
Extending timeout allows more time for processing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Decrease the Lambda function's batch size in Firehose.
Why it's wrong here
Batch size is controlled by Firehose, not Lambda configuration.
- ✗
Increase the memory allocated to the Lambda function.
Why it's wrong here
Timeout is a duration issue, not memory.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse a Lambda timeout with a performance issue and immediately choose to increase memory (Option D) or reduce batch size (Option C), when the correct first step is to increase the timeout setting as indicated by the specific CloudWatch error.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Lambda functions used in Firehose transformations have a maximum timeout of 5 minutes (300 seconds) for synchronous invocations. The timeout is measured from the moment the function is invoked until it returns a response; if the function is waiting on external API calls or processing large payloads, increasing the timeout ensures the function isn't killed prematurely. In practice, a common cause of timeouts is a downstream dependency (e.g., a slow database or external service) that the Lambda function calls during transformation.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
Visual reference
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.
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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 Lambda function timeout setting. — The CloudWatch logs indicate the Lambda function is timing out. The default Lambda timeout for a Firehose transformation is 60 seconds, and if the function's processing exceeds this limit, it will fail. Increasing the Lambda function timeout setting (Option B) directly addresses this by allowing the function more time to complete its execution before being terminated.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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