The correct solution is to use Amazon Kinesis Data Streams for ingestion, AWS Lambda for processing, and Amazon S3 for storage. This works because Kinesis Data Streams provides sub-second latency for real-time streaming data, Lambda processes each record on the fly, and S3 serves as the durable analytics store. Crucially, Kinesis Data Streams retains data for up to 365 days by default, enabling easy reprocessing of failed records by simply replaying the stream from a previous checkpoint. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between real-time and near-real-time services—a common trap is choosing Kinesis Firehose, which batches data and cannot meet the under-1-second requirement. Remember the memory tip: “Stream for speed, Firehose for batch, Lambda for logic, S3 for stash.”
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 designing a new system that will ingest and process real-time streaming data from thousands of IoT devices. Each device sends data every second. The data must be processed with low latency (under 1 second) and then stored in Amazon S3 for long-term analytics. The company also needs to be able to reprocess data in case of processing errors. Which solution should the architect recommend?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Streams to ingest data, AWS Lambda to process, and store in S3
Option D is correct because Kinesis Data Streams ingests data with low latency, Lambda processes it, and S3 stores it. Kinesis Data Analytics can also be used for real-time analytics. The stream's data retention allows reprocessing. Option A is wrong because Kinesis Firehose is for near-real-time, not sub-second. Option B is wrong because SQS is not designed for streaming data and does not support reprocessing with the same ease. Option C is wrong because DMS is for database migration, not streaming ingestion.
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.
✓
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Streams to ingest data, AWS Lambda to process, and store in S3
Why this is correct
Kinesis Data Streams provides sub-second ingestion, Lambda can process in real-time, and data retention allows reprocessing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to ingest data, transform with Lambda, and store in S3
Why it's wrong here
Firehose has a buffer interval of at least 60 seconds, not sub-second.
✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to ingest data into Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for database migration, not real-time streaming ingestion.
✗
Use Amazon SQS to buffer data, and an EC2 Auto Scaling group to process and store in S3
Why it's wrong here
SQS is not designed for streaming data; it's for message queues.
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 SAP-C02 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.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Amazon Kinesis Data Streams to ingest data, AWS Lambda to process, and store in S3 — Option D is correct because Kinesis Data Streams ingests data with low latency, Lambda processes it, and S3 stores it. Kinesis Data Analytics can also be used for real-time analytics. The stream's data retention allows reprocessing. Option A is wrong because Kinesis Firehose is for near-real-time, not sub-second. Option B is wrong because SQS is not designed for streaming data and does not support reprocessing with the same ease. Option C is wrong because DMS is for database migration, not streaming ingestion.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 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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