This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data ingestion and transformation. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. A data engineer runs the AWS CLI command and observes the output. The stream has two shards. A producer sends a record with a partition key that hashes to 150000000000000000000000000000000000000. To which shard will the record be written?
shardId-000000000001
The hash key falls within the range of the second shard.
The record will be rejected because it does not match any shard
Why wrong: The hash is within the second shard's range; records are not rejected.
shardId-000000000000
Why wrong: The hash key is greater than the ending hash key of this shard.
The record will be written to both shards
Why wrong: Records are written to exactly one shard based on hash key.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
shardId-000000000001
The record will be written to shardId-000000000001 because the hash key range for shardId-000000000000 is [0, 170141183460469231731687303715884105727) and for shardId-000000000001 is [170141183460469231731687303715884105727, 340282366920938463463374607431768211455). The partition key hash value of 150000000000000000000000000000000000000 falls within the second shard's range, so the record is routed to shardId-000000000001.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
shardId-000000000001
Why this is correct
The hash key falls within the range of the second shard.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
The record will be rejected because it does not match any shard
Why it's wrong here
The hash is within the second shard's range; records are not rejected.
shardId-000000000000
Why it's wrong here
The hash key is greater than the ending hash key of this shard.
The record will be written to both shards
Why it's wrong here
Records are written to exactly one shard based on hash key.
Common exam traps
The DEA-C01 exam often tests the misconception that the shard ID (e.g., 000000000000) corresponds to the numeric order of the hash range, but in reality, the shard ID is a sequential identifier and the hash key range is what determines routing, not the shard ID itself.
Detailed technical explanation
Kinesis Data Streams uses the MD5 hash of the partition key to determine the shard, with the hash space divided into contiguous ranges across shards. When a shard is split or merged, the hash key ranges are redistributed, and the producer must be aware of the updated shard map to avoid routing errors. In practice, the hash key range for each shard is obtained via the DescribeStream or ListShards API, and the producer uses this to determine the target shard.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Data Ingestion and Transformation — This question tests Data Ingestion and Transformation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: shardId-000000000001 — The record will be written to shardId-000000000001 because the hash key range for shardId-000000000000 is [0, 170141183460469231731687303715884105727) and for shardId-000000000001 is [170141183460469231731687303715884105727, 340282366920938463463374607431768211455). The partition key hash value of 150000000000000000000000000000000000000 falls within the second shard's range, so the record is routed to shardId-000000000001.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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