SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company is using AWS Lambda functions behind an Amazon API Gateway REST API. The Lambda functions are written in Python and use the boto3 SDK to interact with DynamoDB. Recently, the company has observed increased latency and occasional 5xx errors from the API. The operations team wants to implement continuous improvements. Which TWO actions should be taken to improve performance and reliability? (Choose 2)
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
✓
Enable API Gateway caching with a TTL of 60 seconds.
Enabling API Gateway caching reduces load on Lambda and DynamoDB for repeated requests, improving latency and reducing errors. Option E: Enabling DynamoDB auto scaling adjusts capacity based on traffic patterns, reducing throttling-related 5xx errors. Option A (Lambda reserved concurrency) limits concurrency and could worsen throttling. Option B (provisioned concurrency) helps with cold starts but does not address DynamoDB throttling. Option D (increasing Lambda timeout) may mask underlying issues without resolving root causes.
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 Lambda reserved concurrency to 5 for each function.
Why it's wrong here
Reserved concurrency limits the number of concurrent executions, which could increase throttling and errors.
- ✗
Configure provisioned concurrency for all Lambda functions.
Why it's wrong here
Provisioned concurrency addresses cold starts but does not directly reduce errors from DynamoDB throttling.
- ✓
Enable API Gateway caching with a TTL of 60 seconds.
Why this is correct
Caching reduces the number of requests reaching Lambda and DynamoDB, improving latency and reducing load.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 30 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing timeout might mask performance issues but does not address root causes like throttling or latency.
- ✓
Enable DynamoDB auto scaling for the table.
Why this is correct
Auto scaling adjusts read/write capacity based on traffic, reducing throttling errors.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SAP-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 SAP-C02 exam.