The correct answer is that the number of Glue job workers or parallel queries is exceeding the maximum connections or IOPS of the RDS instance. This occurs because AWS Glue, by default, scales out the number of executors based on the worker type and number of DPUs, and each executor opens multiple JDBC connections to the source database. When the combined read throughput from these parallel connections surpasses the RDS instance’s provisioned IOPS or the max_connections parameter, the database throttles the requests and returns a “Rate exceeded” error. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Glue’s distributed architecture interacts with database connection limits, often disguised as a permissions or S3 throttling trap. A common memory tip is to think of RDS as a single-lane bridge: no matter how many cars (workers) you send, the bridge’s capacity (IOPS/connections) dictates the maximum flow.
DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
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 data engineer is troubleshooting an AWS Glue ETL job that fails intermittently with the error 'Rate exceeded.' The job reads from an Amazon RDS for MySQL source and writes to Amazon S3. What is the MOST likely cause of this error?
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 the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The number of Glue job workers or parallel queries is exceeding the maximum connections or IOPS of the RDS instance.
Option D is correct because the 'Rate exceeded' error in AWS Glue when reading from RDS typically indicates that the number of connections or queries per second exceeds the RDS instance's maximum limits. Option A is wrong because AWS Glue does not directly use Amazon Kinesis. Option B is wrong because insufficient IAM permissions would cause an access denied error, not rate exceeded. Option C is wrong because Amazon S3 does not have a rate exceeded error for writes; it would be a 503 SlowDown error.
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.
✗
The Glue job is using Amazon Kinesis Data Streams as a source, which has a shard throughput limit.
Why it's wrong here
The source is RDS, not Kinesis.
✓
The number of Glue job workers or parallel queries is exceeding the maximum connections or IOPS of the RDS instance.
Why this is correct
This is the typical cause of rate exceeded errors when reading from RDS.
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.
✗
The Amazon S3 bucket has a bucket policy that limits the number of objects written per second.
Why it's wrong here
S3 throttling would return a 503 SlowDown error, not 'Rate exceeded'.
✗
The IAM role attached to the Glue job does not have sufficient permissions to read from RDS.
Why it's wrong here
Insufficient permissions would cause access denied errors.
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 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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
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: The number of Glue job workers or parallel queries is exceeding the maximum connections or IOPS of the RDS instance. — Option D is correct because the 'Rate exceeded' error in AWS Glue when reading from RDS typically indicates that the number of connections or queries per second exceeds the RDS instance's maximum limits. Option A is wrong because AWS Glue does not directly use Amazon Kinesis. Option B is wrong because insufficient IAM permissions would cause an access denied error, not rate exceeded. Option C is wrong because Amazon S3 does not have a rate exceeded error for writes; it would be a 503 SlowDown error.
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.
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.
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Question Discussion
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