DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A company has an Amazon Redshift cluster with a single node. The cluster is used for reporting. Recently, queries have become slow, and the cluster's disk space is 80% full. Which action should be taken to improve query performance and manage storage?
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
✓
Resize the cluster to include additional compute nodes.
Resizing the cluster to add compute nodes distributes data and workload across more nodes, improving query performance and increasing storage capacity. Option B is wrong because enabling compression (ENCODE AUTO) can reduce storage space but does not directly address the performance bottleneck caused by high disk usage on a single node; it also is not a quick fix for existing data. Option C is wrong because changing distribution style to ALL replicates all data to every node, which actually increases storage consumption and may worsen performance on a single-node cluster. Option D is wrong because running VACUUM reclaims space from deleted rows, but the cluster is 80% full and VACUUM does not add new storage capacity; it may provide temporary relief but not a long-term solution for performance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Resize the cluster to include additional compute nodes.
Why this is correct
Adding nodes distributes data across more slices, improving query parallelism and providing more storage.
- ✗
Enable compression on all columns using the ENCODE AUTO option.
Why it's wrong here
Compression is set at table creation; existing data needs to be re-ingested to apply compression.
- ✗
Modify the table's distribution style to DISTSTYLE ALL for all tables.
Why it's wrong here
DISTSTYLE ALL copies full tables to each node, increasing storage use and not solving the capacity issue.
- ✗
Run the VACUUM command to reclaim space from deleted rows.
Why it's wrong here
VACUUM frees space but does not increase total capacity; disk is 80% full due to data volume.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DBS-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 DBS-C01 exam.