The correct answer is to enable caching on each step and set a retry policy. Caching allows SageMaker Pipelines to reuse outputs from prior successful executions of a step, so when a later step fails, the pipeline can skip reprocessing all earlier steps and resume directly from the point of failure. A retry policy then automatically re-attempts the failed step itself, giving it a chance to succeed on a subsequent run. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate MLA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of pipeline resilience and cost optimization—a common trap is confusing parallelism or Lambda steps with resumption logic. Remember that caching is about skipping work, while retries handle the failure itself. A useful memory tip: “Cache to skip, retry to fix.”
MLA-C01 ML Model Development Practice Question
This MLA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of ml model development. 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 team is using SageMaker Pipelines to automate a training workflow. They need to ensure that if a step fails, the pipeline can resume from the failed step without reprocessing prior steps. Which TWO configurations are necessary? (Choose TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set a retry policy on the step
Options B and D are correct. Enabling caching on each step (B) allows outputs to be reused from previous runs. Setting a retry policy (D) allows the pipeline to retry the failed step. Option A is wrong because parallelism does not affect resumption. Option C is wrong because Lambda steps are for custom processing, not resumption. Option E is wrong because storing artifacts is common but not sufficient for resumption without caching.
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.
✗
Set the Pipeline's parallel flag to True
Why it's wrong here
Parallel execution does not enable resumption from failures.
✓
Set a retry policy on the step
Why this is correct
Correct: Retry policies automatically retry a step upon failure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a Lambda step for retry logic
Why it's wrong here
Lambda steps can perform actions but are not a built-in retry mechanism.
✗
Store intermediate artifacts in S3
Why it's wrong here
While storing artifacts is common, it does not automatically enable resumption without caching.
✓
Enable caching on each step
Why this is correct
Correct: Caching allows reuse of outputs from previous successful runs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which MLA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
ML Model Development — This question tests ML Model Development — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set a retry policy on the step — Options B and D are correct. Enabling caching on each step (B) allows outputs to be reused from previous runs. Setting a retry policy (D) allows the pipeline to retry the failed step. Option A is wrong because parallelism does not affect resumption. Option C is wrong because Lambda steps are for custom processing, not resumption. Option E is wrong because storing artifacts is common but not sufficient for resumption without caching.
What should I do if I get this MLA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which MLA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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