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Question 1,296 of 1,616

Troubleshooting and Optimization →hardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to modify the Lambda function to implement retries with exponential backoff on DynamoDB write operations, combined with increasing the DynamoDB table's write capacity units. This resolves the ProvisionedThroughputExceededException by first ensuring the table can handle the baseline load, while exponential backoff prevents transient throttling from causing immediate timeouts, as the Lambda function’s 3-second timeout is too short to allow a simple retry. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of DynamoDB throttling patterns and the need to decouple error handling from Lambda execution limits—a common trap is to only increase capacity or only add retries, but both are required for resilience and growth. Remember the mnemonic “Backoff and Boost”: exponential backoff for spikes, boosted capacity for steady load.

DVA-C02 Troubleshooting and Optimization Practice Question

This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting and optimization. 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 runs a serverless application on AWS using API Gateway, AWS Lambda, and DynamoDB. The application processes user uploads and stores metadata in DynamoDB. Recently, users have reported that some uploads fail with a 500 Internal Server Error. The CloudWatch Logs for the Lambda function show 'ProvisionedThroughputExceededException' errors for DynamoDB, followed by 'Task timed out after 3.00 seconds' errors. The Lambda function has a 3-second timeout and 128 MB of memory. The DynamoDB table has 5 read capacity units and 5 write capacity units. The application uses a single Lambda function that processes each upload synchronously. The company expects a steady increase in uploads. Which combination of actions should a developer take to resolve the errors and prepare for future growth? (Choose TWO.)

Question 1hardmulti select

Read the full NAT/PAT explanation →

A
Increase the DynamoDB table's write capacity units to a higher value.
This directly addresses the ProvisionedThroughputExceededException by providing more write capacity.
B
Switch the Lambda function to asynchronous invocation with a DLQ.
Why wrong: Asynchronous invocation would decouple the request, but the immediate failure would still occur; the DLQ captures failed events, but the user would not get a success response.
C
Modify the Lambda function to implement retries with exponential backoff on DynamoDB write operations.
Retries with exponential backoff handle transient throttling errors, reducing failures.
D
Increase the Lambda function's timeout to 30 seconds.
Why wrong: Increasing timeout would not prevent the throttling errors; it would only allow the function to wait longer, but the throttling still causes failures.
E
Increase the Lambda function's reserved concurrency to 100.
Why wrong: Reserved concurrency limits concurrent executions, but the issue is DynamoDB throttling, not Lambda concurrency limits.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 DynamoDB table's write capacity units to a higher value.

The errors are caused by DynamoDB throttling due to insufficient write capacity. Option A increases write capacity to handle the load. Option C implements retries with exponential backoff to handle occasional throttling without failing. Option B would not help because the errors are from DynamoDB, not Lambda concurrency. Option D would increase latency but not solve throttling. Option E might cause duplicate processing.

Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.

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 DynamoDB table's write capacity units to a higher value.
Why this is correct
This directly addresses the ProvisionedThroughputExceededException by providing more write capacity.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Switch the Lambda function to asynchronous invocation with a DLQ.
Why it's wrong here
Asynchronous invocation would decouple the request, but the immediate failure would still occur; the DLQ captures failed events, but the user would not get a success response.
✓
Modify the Lambda function to implement retries with exponential backoff on DynamoDB write operations.
Why this is correct
Retries with exponential backoff handle transient throttling errors, reducing failures.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Increase the Lambda function's timeout to 30 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing timeout would not prevent the throttling errors; it would only allow the function to wait longer, but the throttling still causes failures.
✗
Increase the Lambda function's reserved concurrency to 100.
Why it's wrong here
Reserved concurrency limits concurrent executions, but the issue is DynamoDB throttling, not Lambda concurrency limits.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic

NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.

TExam Day Tips

Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.

Key takeaway

NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DVA-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DVA-C02 question test?

Troubleshooting and Optimization — This question tests Troubleshooting and Optimization — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Increase the DynamoDB table's write capacity units to a higher value. — The errors are caused by DynamoDB throttling due to insufficient write capacity. Option A increases write capacity to handle the load. Option C implements retries with exponential backoff to handle occasional throttling without failing. Option B would not help because the errors are from DynamoDB, not Lambda concurrency. Option D would increase latency but not solve throttling. Option E might cause duplicate processing.

What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.

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This DVA-C02 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 DVA-C02 exam.