SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company uses AWS Lambda to process files uploaded to an S3 bucket. The Lambda function writes results to a DynamoDB table. Over time, the function's execution time has increased, and some operations fail with ProvisionedThroughputExceededException. The function is configured with 1024 MB memory and a 5-minute timeout. The DynamoDB table has 1000 RCUs and 500 WCUs. The Lambda function performs reads and writes on the same table. What is the MOST cost-effective way to resolve the throttling without sacrificing performance?
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
✓
Use SQS to decouple the S3 trigger from the Lambda function and implement a batching strategy to DynamoDB
The most cost-effective solution because it uses SQS to decouple the S3 trigger from the Lambda function, allowing the Lambda to batch writes to DynamoDB. This reduces the frequency of writes, smooths out traffic spikes, and enables retries on throttling exceptions without scaling up capacity. Option A (DAX) only improves read performance, not writes. Option C (increasing WCUs) increases cost significantly without addressing the root cause of bursty traffic. Option D (increasing memory) improves compute but not write throughput, and may increase cost without resolving throttling.
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 DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) for the table
Why it's wrong here
DAX improves read performance but does not increase write throughput.
- ✓
Use SQS to decouple the S3 trigger from the Lambda function and implement a batching strategy to DynamoDB
Why this is correct
SQS buffers requests, allowing batch writes and reducing throttling.
- ✗
Increase DynamoDB write capacity units to 1000 WCUs
Why it's wrong here
More costly and may not be needed if the issue is bursty.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function memory to 2048 MB
Why it's wrong here
Increasing memory only improves CPU, not DynamoDB write capacity.
Visual reference
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 |
Go deeper
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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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.