Enabling Concurrency Scaling in Amazon Redshift WLM

DEA-C01 By islever Editorial Last updated

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Short answer

B Turn on concurrency scaling at the workload management (WLM) queue level in the Redshift cluster.

Question

A company uses an Amazon Redshift cluster that runs on RA3 nodes. The company wants to scale read and write capacity to meet demand. A data engineer needs to identify a solution that will turn on concurrency scaling. Which solution will meet this requirement?
  1. Turn on concurrency scaling in workload management (WLM) for Redshift Serverless workgroups.
  2. Turn on concurrency scaling at the workload management (WLM) queue level in the Redshift cluster. Correct Answer
  3. Turn on concurrency scaling in the settings during the creation of any new Redshift cluster.
  4. Turn on concurrency scaling for the daily usage quota for the Redshift cluster.

Key Takeaways

Concurrency scaling is enabled at the WLM queue level within a provisioned Redshift cluster, not via global cluster creation settings or serverless workgroups.

This guide explains how to enable concurrency scaling for Amazon Redshift clusters by configuring the Workload Management (WLM) queue settings. It clarifies that concurrency scaling is a specific feature for provisioned clusters, distinct from the auto-scaling of Redshift Serverless.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse this with general cluster scaling or assume it applies to Redshift Serverless, which scales automatically without explicit concurrency scaling configuration.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Concurrent scaling in Amazon Redshift allows you to add temporary compute capacity to handle spikes in query load. This feature is configured specifically at the Workload Management (WLM) queue level. By enabling it on a queue, you direct queries exceeding the main cluster's capacity to be routed to the concurrency-scaling cluster. This granular control ensures that only specific types of workloads trigger additional costs.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A is incorrect because Redshift Serverless automatically manages its own scaling and does not use the traditional WLM queue-based concurrency scaling model. Option C is misleading; while settings exist during creation, the functional activation happens per-queue, not as a blanket cluster setting. Option D refers to usage quotas, which are billing limits, not technical configurations for adding compute resources.

Community Comment Notes

The community unanimously agrees on Option B. As noted by user TonyStark0122, "Concurrency scaling... is enabled through Workload Management (WLM) at the queue level." User San_Juan also confirmed that Redshift Serverless scales automatically, making Option A invalid for this specific requirement.

Official Reference

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/redshift/latest/dg/concurrency-scaling-queues.html

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When asked about 'concurrency scaling' in Redshift, always look for the WLM queue option. Remember that Serverless handles scaling differently and does not require manual concurrency scaling setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I enable concurrency scaling globally for the whole cluster?

Concurrency scaling is controlled per WLM queue to allow selective routing of queries based on priority and type, optimizing cost and performance.

Does Redshift Serverless need concurrency scaling enabled?

No, Redshift Serverless automatically scales compute resources based on demand and does not support the traditional WLM-based concurrency scaling feature.

More DEA-C01 FAQ →

Community Votes

B
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 7 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 7

  1. TonyStark0122 👍 9
    B. Turn on concurrency scaling at the workload management (WLM) queue level in the Redshift cluster. Explanation: Concurrency scaling in Amazon Redshift allows the cluster to automatically add and remove compute resources in response to workload demands. Enabling concurrency scaling at the workload management (WLM) queue level allows you to specify which queues can benefit from concurrency scaling based on the query workload.
  2. saransh_001 👍 4 Answered B
    Concurrency Scaling in Amazon Redshift is a feature that automatically adds temporary clusters to handle spikes in query traffic, providing additional read and write capacity. This feature is enabled through Workload Management (WLM) at the queue level in Redshift. Each queue can be configured to use concurrency scaling for handling queries that exceed the capacity of the main cluster. Why option A is incorrect: Turn on concurrency scaling in workload management (WLM) for Redshift Serverless workgroups: This option is for Redshift Serverless rather than clusters on RA3 nodes. Serverless clusters handle scaling differently and don't require manual concurrency scaling settings like the RA3 clusters.
  3. milofficial 👍 4 Answered B
    https://docs.aws.amazon.com/redshift/latest/dg/concurrency-scaling-queues.html
  4. San_Juan 👍 2 Answered B
    B. According to documentation, the "concurrency scaling" is set up in workload management queue (see comment below). A. discarted, because redshift serverless scales automatically (it doesn't need enable "concurrency scaling").
  5. lsj900605 👍 1
    B"You can manage which queries are sent to the concurrency-scaling cluster by configuring WLM queues. You're charged for concurrency-scaling clusters only for the time they're actively running queries." https://docs.aws.amazon.com/redshift/latest/dg/concurrency-scaling.html
Show 2 more comments
  1. khchan123 👍 1 Answered B
    Answer is B. B. Turn on concurrency scaling at the workload management (WLM) queue level in the Redshift cluster.
  2. d8945a1 👍 1 Answered B
    B. Turn on concurrency scaling at the workload management (WLM) queue level in the Redshift cluster.

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