- A
Configure DynamoDB with on-demand capacity mode.
On-demand capacity automatically scales to handle bursts without throttling.
- B
Use an Amazon SQS queue to buffer events from S3 before processing by Lambda.
SQS decouples and buffers messages, preventing loss during traffic bursts.
- C
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 15 minutes.
Why wrong: Timeout does not prevent data loss; it only allows longer execution.
- D
Use DynamoDB Streams to capture changes and process in batches.
Why wrong: Streams are for change data capture, not for handling burst traffic.
- E
Enable S3 Transfer Acceleration on the bucket.
Why wrong: Transfer Acceleration speeds up uploads, not processing.
Question 174 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 building a serverless data processing pipeline using AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon S3. The pipeline processes JSON files uploaded to an S3 bucket, transforms the data, and writes results to DynamoDB. The company wants to ensure the pipeline can handle bursts of traffic without data loss. Which TWO design decisions should the solutions architect make?
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
✓
Configure DynamoDB with on-demand capacity mode.
DynamoDB on-demand capacity mode (Option A) automatically scales read/write throughput to handle traffic spikes without requiring capacity planning or risking throttling. This is essential for a serverless pipeline that experiences bursts of traffic, as it prevents data loss by ensuring writes always succeed without ProvisionedThroughputExceededException errors.
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.
- ✓
Configure DynamoDB with on-demand capacity mode.
Why this is correct
On-demand capacity automatically scales to handle bursts without throttling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Use an Amazon SQS queue to buffer events from S3 before processing by Lambda.
Why this is correct
SQS decouples and buffers messages, preventing loss during traffic bursts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 15 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
Timeout does not prevent data loss; it only allows longer execution.
- ✗
Use DynamoDB Streams to capture changes and process in batches.
Why it's wrong here
Streams are for change data capture, not for handling burst traffic.
- ✗
Enable S3 Transfer Acceleration on the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration speeds up uploads, not processing.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse DynamoDB Streams with a buffering mechanism for incoming writes, when in fact streams only capture post-write changes and do not prevent data loss from S3 event delivery failures.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, S3 event notifications are asynchronous and can be lost if the Lambda function is not available or throttled; an SQS queue (Option B) acts as a durable buffer, decoupling event ingestion from processing and allowing Lambda to poll messages at its own pace. DynamoDB on-demand mode uses a credit-based system that can absorb sudden spikes up to the table's previous peak throughput, but for extreme bursts, it may still throttle if the burst capacity is exhausted; combining SQS with on-demand capacity ensures no data loss even under heavy load.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
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 |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
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: Configure DynamoDB with on-demand capacity mode. — DynamoDB on-demand capacity mode (Option A) automatically scales read/write throughput to handle traffic spikes without requiring capacity planning or risking throttling. This is essential for a serverless pipeline that experiences bursts of traffic, as it prevents data loss by ensuring writes always succeed without ProvisionedThroughputExceededException errors.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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