The answer is enabling job bookmarking and configuring incremental processing to reduce data volume per run. This is the most cost-effective solution because AWS Glue memory failure handling relies on minimizing the amount of data each job invocation must process; job bookmarking tracks previously processed data, allowing subsequent runs to skip old records and only handle new or changed data, which directly reduces memory pressure without increasing infrastructure costs. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to scale Glue jobs efficiently—a common trap is to immediately increase DPUs or switch to Amazon EMR, but the exam rewards cost-conscious architectural decisions that leverage Glue’s built-in features. Remember the memory tip: “Bookmark the data, not the budget”—incremental processing prevents memory blowouts by shrinking the workload per run, not by throwing more resources at it.
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. 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 runs a data processing pipeline on AWS using AWS Glue and Amazon Redshift. Recently, the pipeline has been failing due to insufficient memory in the Glue job. The team wants to improve the pipeline to handle larger datasets without manual intervention. Which solution is MOST cost-effective?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable job bookmarking and configure incremental processing to reduce data volume per run.
Option B is correct because using Glue job bookmarking with incremental processing reduces the data processed per run, avoiding memory issues. Option A is wrong because increasing DPUs increases cost linearly. Option C is wrong because using a larger instance type for Redshift does not affect Glue memory. Option D is wrong because switching to EMR adds complexity and may not be more cost-effective. Option E is wrong because partitioning data in Amazon S3 with more files does not directly solve memory issues.
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.
✓
Enable job bookmarking and configure incremental processing to reduce data volume per run.
Why this is correct
Reduces the amount of data processed each time, preventing memory exhaustion.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a larger node type for the Amazon Redshift cluster to offload processing.
Why it's wrong here
Redshift does not handle Glue job memory.
✗
Replace AWS Glue with Amazon EMR and use spot instances for cost savings.
Why it's wrong here
EMR may be cheaper but requires significant re-architecture.
✗
Partition the input data in Amazon S3 into more files with smaller sizes.
Why it's wrong here
Does not reduce total data volume processed per run.
✗
Increase the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) for the Glue job.
Why it's wrong here
Increases cost without addressing the root cause of memory spikes.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable job bookmarking and configure incremental processing to reduce data volume per run. — Option B is correct because using Glue job bookmarking with incremental processing reduces the data processed per run, avoiding memory issues. Option A is wrong because increasing DPUs increases cost linearly. Option C is wrong because using a larger instance type for Redshift does not affect Glue memory. Option D is wrong because switching to EMR adds complexity and may not be more cost-effective. Option E is wrong because partitioning data in Amazon S3 with more files does not directly solve memory issues.
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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