- A
Increase the Lambda function timeout
Why wrong: Timeout does not affect concurrency throttle.
- B
Disable retries on the Lambda function
Why wrong: Disabling retries may lose data.
- C
Increase the number of shards in the Kinesis data stream
More shards allow more Lambda concurrent executions, reducing throttling.
- D
Use an Amazon SQS queue as an intermediate buffer
Why wrong: This adds complexity and latency.
Question 816 of 1,786
Reducing Lambda Throttling in a Kinesis Stream Pipeline by Increasing Shards
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.
A data engineer is building a streaming pipeline using Amazon Kinesis Data Streams and AWS Lambda. The Lambda function processes records and writes to Amazon DynamoDB. The engineer notices that the Lambda function is throttled during high traffic. Which action should the engineer take to reduce throttling?
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 Kinesis data stream
Increasing the number of shards in the Kinesis data stream increases the overall throughput of the stream, which allows the Lambda event source mapping to poll more shards concurrently. Each shard is processed by one Lambda invocation at a time, so more shards mean more concurrent Lambda executions, reducing the per-invocation load and the likelihood of throttling.
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 Lambda function timeout
Why it's wrong here
Timeout does not affect concurrency throttle.
- ✗
Disable retries on the Lambda function
Why it's wrong here
Disabling retries may lose data.
- ✓
Increase the number of shards in the Kinesis data stream
Why this is correct
More shards allow more Lambda concurrent executions, reducing throttling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use an Amazon SQS queue as an intermediate buffer
Why it's wrong here
This adds complexity and latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The DEA-C01 exam often tests the misconception that throttling is caused by Lambda function performance (timeout or retries) rather than the stream's shard count, leading candidates to choose options that affect execution duration or error handling instead of scaling the source.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Lambda's event source mapping for Kinesis processes one shard per concurrent invocation, and the number of concurrent Lambda executions is equal to the number of shards (up to the account's concurrency limit). When traffic spikes, a single shard can accumulate records faster than a single Lambda invocation can process them, leading to throttling if the account-level concurrency limit is hit. Increasing shards distributes the load across more invocations, effectively raising the concurrency ceiling for that stream.
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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.
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Data Ingestion and Transformation — study guide chapter
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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 shards in the Kinesis data stream — Increasing the number of shards in the Kinesis data stream increases the overall throughput of the stream, which allows the Lambda event source mapping to poll more shards concurrently. Each shard is processed by one Lambda invocation at a time, so more shards mean more concurrent Lambda executions, reducing the per-invocation load and the likelihood of throttling.
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
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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