DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A company is running Amazon Redshift for data warehousing. The data warehouse is used for complex analytical queries. Recently, query performance has degraded due to data skew. Which steps should be taken to address this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse data skew (uneven distribution across slices) with data sorting or compression, leading them to incorrectly choose sort keys or compression as solutions, whereas only distribution style changes directly address the underlying imbalance.
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
✓
Re-evaluate the distribution style of the tables.
Data skew in Amazon Redshift occurs when data is unevenly distributed across slices, causing some nodes to process more data than others and degrading query performance. Re-evaluating the distribution style (e.g., switching from AUTO or EVEN to KEY on a column with high cardinality and even distribution, or using ALL for small dimension tables) redistributes the data evenly, mitigating skew and improving parallel query execution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Apply sort keys on the skewed columns.
Why it's wrong here
Sort keys improve query performance but do not fix data distribution skew.
- ✗
Apply compression on the skewed columns.
Why it's wrong here
Compression reduces storage but does not affect data distribution.
- ✓
Re-evaluate the distribution style of the tables.
Why this is correct
Choosing the right distribution style can evenly distribute data across nodes.
- ✗
Increase the number of nodes in the cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Adding nodes may not fix skew if distribution is poor.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,663 original DBS-C01 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.