amazon_connect_flashcards (1)

Question 1

What is Terraform used for in Amazon Connect environments?

Answer 1

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that deploys and manages AWS resources through code instead of manual console work. Manages Lambdas | DynamoDB tables | IAM roles | dashboards | and all other infrastructure.

Emphasize that Terraform prevents configuration drift (manual changes that don’t match documentation), enables infrastructure versioning through Git, and makes it possible to spin up identical environments quickly - critical for scaling contact center operations.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Question 2

How are Lambda changes deployed in enterprise environments?

Answer 2

Through Git repositories and CI/CD pipelines. Create a feature branch | commit changes | run the pipeline which deploys via Terraform. Should NOT make changes directly in the AWS console.

Question 3

What is AWS CDK?

Answer 3

Cloud Development Kit - an alternative to Terraform for Infrastructure as Code. Know what it is even if you primarily use Terraform so you can reference it in interviews.

Question 4

How would you describe Terraform experience in an interview?

Answer 4

“I took it upon myself to automate console tasks by working with DevOps to create Terraform configurations for pipeline deployments. I know enough to read Terraform files | understand them | and make small changes when required.”

Question 5

What does a typical Terraform deployment pipeline look like?

Answer 5

Script runs | generates Terraform configuration | pipeline executes | grabs config and deploys to AWS environment.

Question 6

Why is Terraform knowledge a big plus for Amazon Connect roles?

Answer 6

You don’t need to be a full Terraform developer but knowing basic definitions and concepts shows you understand enterprise-level deployment practices and automation.

Question 7

What is a static reference in an Amazon Connect contact flow?

Answer 7

A hardcoded reference to a specific resource like a queue name | Lambda ARN | or prompt that is explicitly set in the flow block configuration.

Question 8

What is a dynamic reference in an Amazon Connect contact flow?

Answer 8

A reference that pulls its value from an attribute or variable at runtime. Allows the same flow block to point to different resources based on context using syntax like $.Attributes.QueueName instead of hardcoding.

Question 9

Why would a flow block show No Match in the console?

Answer 9

When using dynamic references the referenced attribute or variable doesn’t resolve to a valid resource. The actual resource is determined at runtime not design time.

Question 10

What is the advantage of dynamic references over static?

Answer 10

Flexibility and reusability. One contact flow can handle multiple scenarios without duplicating flows. Change behavior by updating attributes rather than modifying the flow itself.

Question 11

Where do dynamic reference values typically come from?

Answer 11

Contact attributes set earlier in the flow | Lambda function returns | DynamoDB lookups | or external system integrations.

Question 12

What are the two architecture options when creating a Lambda?

Answer 12

x86_64 and ARM64.

Question 13

Which Lambda architecture should you typically choose and why?

Answer 13

x86_64 because it has better compatibility with machine learning libraries and dependencies. ARM64 can work but x86 is the safer default.

Question 14

What is Amazon Connect’s default timeout for Lambda invocations?

Answer 14

8 seconds.

Question 15

What should you set your Lambda timeout to when used with Amazon Connect?

Answer 15

8 seconds or less to match Amazon Connect’s timeout limit.

Question 16

What happens if your Lambda exceeds the Amazon Connect timeout?

Answer 16

The contact flow hits the error branch even if the Lambda would eventually complete successfully. The caller experiences a failure.

Question 17

Why is the 8 second timeout important for Lambda design?

Answer 17

You must design efficient code that completes within this window. If operations take longer you need to optimize or consider alternative architectures like async processing.

Question 18

Does increasing Lambda memory increase execution speed?

Answer 18

Yes and No. AWS increases CPU power proportionally with memory so more memory equals more speed. But if your Lambda only needs 100MB setting it to 10GB won’t make it faster because it’s not memory bottlenecked.

Question 19

How do you know if your Lambda needs more memory?

Answer 19

Check CloudWatch logs which show actual memory used per invocation. If usage consistently hits your allocated limit like using 128MB when set to 128MB then increase it.

Question 20

What is the recommended approach for scaling Lambda memory?

Answer 20

Start low | monitor usage | scale incrementally from 128MB to 256MB to 512MB and so on. Only increase when the Lambda is hitting its memory ceiling.

Question 21

How does Lambda memory affect billing?

Answer 21

You are charged for ALLOCATED memory not just what is used. Setting 10GB when you only need 100MB wastes money on every invocation.

Question 22

What is Lambda ephemeral storage?

Answer 22

Temporary disk storage like RAM available during execution. Used for processing files or temporary data that doesn’t need to persist.

Question 23

What is a VPC?

Answer 23

Virtual Private Cloud. A virtual network in AWS that isolates your resources similar to a local on-premises network but in the cloud.

Question 24

Should Lambdas be in a VPC in production?

Answer 24

Yes always use VPC in production for an extra layer of security. It’s not hard to set up and adds significant protection.

Question 25

What security controls does a VPC provide for Lambdas?

Answer 25

Inbound and outbound rules that let you whitelist or block IP addresses and allow or block specific protocols.

Question 26

What are inbound rules in a VPC security group?

Answer 26

Rules that control incoming traffic TO your resources. Defines what external sources can connect to your Lambda or other resources.

Question 27

What are outbound rules in a VPC security group?

Answer 27

Rules that control outgoing traffic FROM your resources. Defines what external destinations your Lambda or resources can connect to.

Question 28

Why is VPC configuration a security best practice?

Answer 28

Creates network isolation | restricts unauthorized access | controls data flow | provides additional security layer beyond IAM permissions.

Question 29

Where should you store configuration values like API keys and endpoints in Lambda?

Answer 29

Environment variables. NEVER hardcode anything in the code itself.

Question 30

What are Lambda Layers used for?

Answer 30

Storing dependencies and libraries. Always use layers for imports instead of bundling dependencies directly in your code package.

Question 31

What is a Lambda Alias?

Answer 31

A pointer to a specific Lambda version. You can update the alias to point to new versions without changing the ARN that other services reference.

Question 32

Why are Lambda Aliases critical in production?

Answer 32

If 1000 things reference your Lambda and you update the code you only update the alias once. Without aliases you would have to update all 1000 references to point to the new version.

Question 33

What is the typical alias strategy?

Answer 33

Create a production alias that points to either a specific version or latest. When you deploy new code update what the alias points to.

Question 34

What are Lambda Versions?

Answer 34

Immutable snapshots of your Lambda code and configuration. Create new versions when deploying changes and aliases point to these versions.

Question 35

What are Tags used for in AWS resources?

Answer 35

Cost management and organization. Tag resources by department | project | or LOB to track spending and manage resources across large accounts.

Question 36

What is the difference between Save and Publish in contact flows?

Answer 36

Save stores your changes but doesn't affect production. Publish makes the flow live and runs validations.

Question 37

What validations occur when you Publish a contact flow?

Answer 37

Amazon Connect checks for missing resources like queues | prompts | and Lambdas as well as invalid configurations. It won't catch everything but catches obvious errors.

Question 38

What is the difference between a Module and a Contact Flow?

Answer 38

Modules are reusable components or puzzle pieces that can be inserted into multiple contact flows. They encapsulate functionality that is hidden from the main flow view.

Question 39

Can you import a Module as a Contact Flow?

Answer 39

No types must match. You can only import a module as a module and a contact flow as a contact flow.

Question 40

What paths should every contact flow block have?

Answer 40

An error or failure path and a success path. Always handle both scenarios.

Question 41

How do you share contact flows between instances?

Answer 41

Export as JSON file then import into the new instance. Resolve any resource references like queues | Lambdas | and prompts that don't exist in the target instance.

Question 42

What should you do BEFORE writing Lambda code for API integrations?

Answer 42

Test everything in Postman first. Create a collection | set up headers and authentication | verify status 200 OK responses | confirm endpoints and data structures work correctly.

Question 43

Why test APIs in Postman before coding?

Answer 43

Eliminates debugging API issues later. When you know the request works you only need to focus on translating it to Lambda code not troubleshooting connectivity | auth | or endpoint issues.

Question 44

What is the quick iteration workflow for Lambda development in the console?

Answer 44

Write code | Deploy | Run saved test event | Check output | Make changes | Repeat. Mention that saved test events are crucial for consistency across iterations, the console shows execution duration and memory usage immediately after each test, and this workflow is perfect for prototyping but production code should still go through proper CI/CD pipelines.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Question 45

What is a Lambda test event?

Answer 45

A saved JSON payload that simulates the input your Lambda would receive. Allows quick testing without triggering from actual sources.

Question 46

How do you download a Lambda for sharing or backup?

Answer 46

In the Lambda console go to Actions then Download then Zip file. This includes code and configuration.

Question 47

How do you upload a Lambda from a zip file?

Answer 47

Create new function then Actions then Upload from then Zip file. All code and settings from the original are preserved.

Question 48

What is an IAM Role?

Answer 48

A container that holds policy documents defining what actions AWS resources can perform.

Question 49

What are the components of an IAM Policy Statement?

Answer 49

SID which is the unique identifier | Effect which is allow or deny | Action which is the API request | Resource which is the ARN of the AWS resource.

Question 50

What is a Trust Policy on a role?

Answer 50

Defines WHO can assume the role. Specifies which services | users | or accounts are allowed to use the permissions in that role.

Question 51

What is a Service Role?

Answer 51

An AWS managed role with predefined permissions for specific services like the basic Lambda execution role with CloudWatch logging permissions.

Question 52

Describe the BambooHR automation project for interviews.

Answer 52

Client wanted to automate agent creation when new employees were added to BambooHR. Created a webhook in BambooHR that sends data to a Lambda function. Lambda stores department info in DynamoDB which maps to security profiles and routing profiles. When a user is created with a department set the Lambda automatically provisions the new agent with correct configurations.

Question 53

What is the flow for the BambooHR automation?

Answer 53

BambooHR webhook triggers Lambda | Lambda queries DynamoDB for department to security profile and routing profile mapping | Lambda auto-creates agent in Amazon Connect with correct configurations.

Question 54

How do you frame your experience level for interviews?

Answer 54

2 years contact center with Cisco and WebEx plus 2 years Amazon Connect automation equals 4 years contact center experience with recent focus on Amazon Connect development and automation.

Question 55

What is a Function URL in Lambda?

Answer 55

An HTTPS endpoint that directly invokes your Lambda. An alternative way to trigger it without API Gateway.

Question 56

What is Asynchronous Invocation?

Answer 56

Lambda execution mode where the caller doesn't wait for a response. Useful for long-running tasks that don't need immediate results.

Question 57

What is Lambda Concurrency?

Answer 57

How many instances of your Lambda can run simultaneously. Related to cold starts which are new instances versus warm starts which are reused instances.

Question 58

What is Amazon Connect Customer Profiles?

Answer 58

Built-in CRM functionality in Amazon Connect. Rarely used because most enterprises already have Salesforce or other CRMs.

Question 59

What determines SAML 2.0 configuration complexity?

Answer 59

It is highly specific to each identity provider like Azure or Okta. There is no universal setup so you follow documentation for your specific provider.