Question 569 of 1,672
MLS-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question
A data pipeline uses AWS Lambda to process small files (10-50 MB) from an S3 bucket and write results to DynamoDB. The Lambda function times out after 15 seconds for larger files. The team wants to handle files up to 100 MB without changing the Lambda code. Which solution is MOST cost-effective?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume Lambda is unsuitable for larger files or longer processing times, leading them to over-engineer with services like Glue or ECS, when simply increasing the timeout is the most cost-effective and minimal-change solution.
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 Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes
Increasing the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes directly addresses the 15-second timeout issue for larger files (up to 100 MB) without requiring any code changes. This is the most cost-effective solution as it avoids additional infrastructure costs (e.g., Glue, ECS, SQS) and leverages Lambda's existing pay-per-execution pricing model, which remains economical for occasional longer-running invocations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use AWS Glue Python shell job to replace Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Glue shell jobs have a 1-hour timeout but incur additional cost and complexity.
- ✓
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes
Why this is correct
Lambda allows up to 15 minutes, and 5 minutes is sufficient for 100 MB. No code changes needed.
- ✗
Use Amazon ECS with AWS Fargate to run the processing task
Why it's wrong here
Fargate adds complexity and cost; not necessary for this scale.
- ✗
Configure an SQS queue to buffer the S3 events and batch them
Why it's wrong here
Batching does not help if individual files cause timeout; it would only delay the issue.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This MLS-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 MLS-C01 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.