- A
Implement a manual approval step before deployment to stagger multiple pipeline executions.
Correct: Staggers deployments to reduce concurrent calls.
- B
Use exponential backoff and retry in the deployment action.
Correct: Retry with backoff handles transient rate limits.
- C
Increase the timeout of the deploy action.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Timeout does not prevent rate exceeded errors.
- D
Enable CloudWatch detailed monitoring for the deployed resources.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Monitoring does not reduce failures.
- E
Change the deployment to use an in-place deployment type.
Why wrong: Incorrect: In-place deployments may still hit rate limits.
Question 1,114 of 1,750
DOP-C02 SDLC Automation Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of sdlc automation. 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 is using AWS CodePipeline with multiple stages: Source (GitHub), Build (CodeBuild), Test (CodeBuild), and Deploy (CloudFormation). The deployment stage is failing intermittently with a 'Rate exceeded' error. The team needs to reduce deployment failures. Which TWO actions should the team take?
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
✓
Implement a manual approval step before deployment to stagger multiple pipeline executions.
Option A is correct because adding a manual approval step before the deployment stage introduces a gating mechanism that serializes pipeline executions. This prevents multiple concurrent deployments from hitting the CloudFormation API simultaneously, which is the root cause of the 'Rate exceeded' error (typically a 429 HTTP status from the AWS API due to throttling). By requiring human approval, the team can control the flow and reduce the likelihood of exceeding CloudFormation's API rate limits (e.g., 1 request per second per account per region for certain actions).
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.
- ✓
Implement a manual approval step before deployment to stagger multiple pipeline executions.
Why this is correct
Correct: Staggers deployments to reduce concurrent calls.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Use exponential backoff and retry in the deployment action.
Why this is correct
Correct: Retry with backoff handles transient rate limits.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the timeout of the deploy action.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Timeout does not prevent rate exceeded errors.
- ✗
Enable CloudWatch detailed monitoring for the deployed resources.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Monitoring does not reduce failures.
- ✗
Change the deployment to use an in-place deployment type.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: In-place deployments may still hit rate limits.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates might think increasing timeouts or changing deployment types (Options C and E) will fix API throttling, but these do not address the root cause of exceeding rate limits; only throttling-aware retry logic or serializing executions (Options A and B) can mitigate the 'Rate exceeded' error.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The 'Rate exceeded' error in CloudFormation is governed by AWS API throttling limits, which for CloudFormation are typically 1 request per second per account per region for CreateStack, UpdateStack, and DeleteStack actions. Exponential backoff and retry (Option B) is a standard approach to handle transient throttling errors by implementing a retry mechanism with increasing wait times (e.g., using the AWS SDK's built-in retry logic with jitter). This is effective because it respects the API's Retry-After header and reduces the request rate dynamically, making it a best practice for handling 429 errors in distributed systems.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
SDLC Automation — This question tests SDLC Automation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement a manual approval step before deployment to stagger multiple pipeline executions. — Option A is correct because adding a manual approval step before the deployment stage introduces a gating mechanism that serializes pipeline executions. This prevents multiple concurrent deployments from hitting the CloudFormation API simultaneously, which is the root cause of the 'Rate exceeded' error (typically a 429 HTTP status from the AWS API due to throttling). By requiring human approval, the team can control the flow and reduce the likelihood of exceeding CloudFormation's API rate limits (e.g., 1 request per second per account per region for certain actions).
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 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
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