DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company uses Amazon DynamoDB to store session data for a web application. The application experiences occasional spikes in traffic, causing throttling on the table. The data engineer needs to implement a solution that handles traffic spikes without manual intervention and minimizes cost. What should the data engineer do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse caching (DAX) as a solution for all throttling, but DAX only addresses read-side throttling and does not help with write throttling, which is critical for session data that is frequently updated.
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
✓
Enable DynamoDB Auto Scaling for the table.
DynamoDB Auto Scaling (option D) automatically adjusts the provisioned read and write capacity based on actual traffic patterns, using CloudWatch alarms and the Application Auto Scaling service. This handles traffic spikes without manual intervention and minimizes cost by scaling down during low traffic periods, making it the ideal solution for variable workloads like session data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Switch to provisioned capacity with a high fixed read/write capacity.
Why it's wrong here
Fixed capacity would either cause throttling during spikes or be wasteful.
- ✗
Implement DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) to cache read requests.
Why it's wrong here
DAX helps with read performance but does not prevent write throttling.
- ✗
Purchase DynamoDB reserved capacity.
Why it's wrong here
Reserved capacity provides discounts, not dynamic scaling.
- ✓
Enable DynamoDB Auto Scaling for the table.
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling adjusts capacity automatically to handle spikes and minimize cost.
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Variation 1. A company uses Amazon DynamoDB to store session data for a web application. The application experiences sudden spikes in traffic, causing occasional throttling errors. The data engineer needs to handle these spikes without over-provisioning capacity. What is the MOST cost-effective solution?
easy- A.Set up a TTL (Time to Live) attribute to automatically delete old session data.
- B.Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) to cache read requests.
- ✓ C.Configure DynamoDB Auto Scaling to automatically adjust provisioned capacity.
- D.Switch to DynamoDB on-demand mode.
Why C: DynamoDB Auto Scaling (option C) is the most cost-effective solution because it automatically adjusts the provisioned read/write capacity based on actual traffic patterns, handling sudden spikes without manual intervention or over-provisioning. This avoids paying for unused capacity during low-traffic periods while still accommodating bursts within the configured limits.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DEA-C01 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 DEA-C01 exam.