- A
Switch from Kinesis Data Streams to Kinesis Data Firehose
Why wrong: Firehose is for delivery, not real-time processing.
- B
Decrease the batch size in the consumer
Why wrong: Smaller batches reduce efficiency and throughput.
- C
Enable enhanced fan-out for the consumer
Why wrong: Enhanced fan-out reduces latency but does not increase overall throughput.
- D
Increase the number of shards in the stream
More shards increase read capacity and parallelism.
Question 115 of 1,786
How to Improve Kinesis Consumer Throughput and Reduce Lag by Increasing Shards
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. 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 Amazon Kinesis Data Streams to ingest real-time clickstream data. The consumer application is falling behind and the iterator age is increasing. Which action would most effectively improve throughput?
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 shards in the stream
Increasing the number of shards in a Kinesis data stream increases the level of parallelism for both ingestion and consumption, allowing the consumer to process more data concurrently and catch up. Option A is incorrect because Kinesis Data Firehose is a delivery stream, not a replacement for real-time consumption, and cannot solve a consumer lag issue. Option B is incorrect because decreasing batch size reduces the amount of data processed per poll, which can actually slow down throughput and increase iterator age. Option C is incorrect because enhanced fan-out is useful when multiple consumers need dedicated throughput, but it does not increase the total throughput of the stream; it simply provides each consumer with its own 2 MB/sec per shard read throughput, which may not help a single consumer that is already falling behind.
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.
- ✗
Switch from Kinesis Data Streams to Kinesis Data Firehose
Why it's wrong here
Firehose is for delivery, not real-time processing.
- ✗
Decrease the batch size in the consumer
Why it's wrong here
Smaller batches reduce efficiency and throughput.
- ✗
Enable enhanced fan-out for the consumer
Why it's wrong here
Enhanced fan-out reduces latency but does not increase overall throughput.
- ✓
Increase the number of shards in the stream
Why this is correct
More shards increase read capacity and parallelism.
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 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.
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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 number of shards in the stream — Increasing the number of shards in a Kinesis data stream increases the level of parallelism for both ingestion and consumption, allowing the consumer to process more data concurrently and catch up. Option A is incorrect because Kinesis Data Firehose is a delivery stream, not a replacement for real-time consumption, and cannot solve a consumer lag issue. Option B is incorrect because decreasing batch size reduces the amount of data processed per poll, which can actually slow down throughput and increase iterator age. Option C is incorrect because enhanced fan-out is useful when multiple consumers need dedicated throughput, but it does not increase the total throughput of the stream; it simply provides each consumer with its own 2 MB/sec per shard read throughput, which may not help a single consumer that is already falling behind.
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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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 →
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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