Data Engineering Real-Time Streaming Architectures 3

Question 1

The Kappa architecture differs from Lambda primarily because it:

Accepted Answer

Uses a single stream-processing path for both real-time and reprocessing

Answer

Kappa removes the batch layer and reprocesses by replaying the log through one streaming path.

Question 2

What is a session window in stream processing?

Accepted Answer

A window defined by periods of activity separated by inactivity gaps

Answer

Session windows group events that occur close together, closing after a configured inactivity gap.

Question 3

In Kafka, increasing the replication factor primarily improves:

Accepted Answer

Fault tolerance and durability

Answer

More replicas mean the data survives more broker failures, raising durability.

Question 4

What is the function of a checkpoint in a stateful stream processor like Flink?

Accepted Answer

Persist state snapshots for recovery after failure

Answer

Checkpoints periodically snapshot operator state so processing can resume consistently after a crash.

Question 5

Which serialization format is commonly used with a schema registry for streaming data?

Accepted Answer

Avro

Answer

Avro pairs well with schema registries to enforce and evolve schemas across producers and consumers.

Data Engineering Practice Test