- A
Add a secondary sort key on 'customer_id'.
Why wrong: Sort keys help with range-restricted scans but not with distribution; data may still be scattered.
- B
Change to DISTSTYLE KEY on the 'customer_id' column.
KEY distribution on the filtered column reduces data movement during queries.
- C
Change to DISTSTYLE EVEN with a different sort key.
Why wrong: EVEN distributes rows randomly, not improving filter performance on a specific column.
- D
Change to DISTSTYLE ALL for the fact table.
Why wrong: ALL distribution copies the entire table to all nodes, which is inefficient for large fact tables.
Question 1,352 of 1,786
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 Amazon Redshift for its data warehouse. The data engineering team notices that queries against a large fact table are slow. The table is distributed using DISTSTYLE EVEN and has multiple sort keys. After analyzing the query plans, they find that most queries filter on a specific column, 'customer_id'. Which change would most likely improve query performance for these filter operations?
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
✓
Change to DISTSTYLE KEY on the 'customer_id' column.
Option B is correct because changing to DISTSTYLE KEY on 'customer_id' ensures that rows with the same customer_id are co-located on the same node slice. This allows the Redshift query engine to perform filter operations on a single slice rather than scanning all slices, dramatically reducing data movement and improving query performance for queries that filter on that column.
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.
- ✗
Add a secondary sort key on 'customer_id'.
Why it's wrong here
Sort keys help with range-restricted scans but not with distribution; data may still be scattered.
- ✓
Change to DISTSTYLE KEY on the 'customer_id' column.
Why this is correct
KEY distribution on the filtered column reduces data movement during queries.
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.
- ✗
Change to DISTSTYLE EVEN with a different sort key.
Why it's wrong here
EVEN distributes rows randomly, not improving filter performance on a specific column.
- ✗
Change to DISTSTYLE ALL for the fact table.
Why it's wrong here
ALL distribution copies the entire table to all nodes, which is inefficient for large fact tables.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse sort keys (which optimize data ordering within a slice) with distribution keys (which control data placement across slices), leading them to choose a sort key change when the real bottleneck is data distribution.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Redshift distributes data across slices based on the distribution style. With DISTSTYLE KEY, the hash of the distribution column determines the slice, ensuring all rows with the same key value land on the same slice. This enables Redshift to prune slices during query planning, reducing the number of slices scanned for filter operations. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for large fact tables in star schemas where dimension-style filtering is common, as it minimizes network I/O and leverages local data processing.
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 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Data Store Management — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Data Store Management practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DEA-C01 questions
1,786 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DEA-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DEA-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Data Ingestion and Transformation practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Ingestion and Transformation.
Data Operations and Support practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Operations and Support.
Data Security and Governance practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Security and Governance.
Data Store Management practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to Data Store Management.
DEA-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 fundamentals.
DEA-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 scenario.
DEA-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DEA-C01 questions linked to DEA-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DEA-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Change to DISTSTYLE KEY on the 'customer_id' column. — Option B is correct because changing to DISTSTYLE KEY on 'customer_id' ensures that rows with the same customer_id are co-located on the same node slice. This allows the Redshift query engine to perform filter operations on a single slice rather than scanning all slices, dramatically reducing data movement and improving query performance for queries that filter on that column.
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.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More DEA-C01 practice questions
- A data pipeline uses Kinesis Data Firehose to deliver streaming data to an S3 bucket. The data volume spikes occasionall…
- An e-commerce company uses AWS Glue to run ETL jobs that transform clickstream data from Amazon S3. The job reads Parque…
- A data engineering team uses Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics for Apache Flink to process streaming data. They notice that…
- A company uses AWS Glue to process streaming data from Amazon Kinesis Data Streams. The job reads JSON records and write…
- A data engineer applies the above bucket policy to an S3 bucket containing sensitive data. The goal is to allow only enc…
- A company uses AWS Glue to catalog data in Amazon S3. The security team requires that all sensitive data be identified a…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.