DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company uses DynamoDB with provisioned capacity and experiences throttling on a table during peak hours. The data engineer notices that the table has a partition key with high cardinality and the workload is read-heavy. Which action would best resolve the throttling?
⚠ Common exam trap
AWS often tests the misconception that adding a GSI or switching to on-demand is the default fix for throttling, but the correct answer requires identifying that the read-heavy workload needs RCU adjustments, not structural changes or mode switches.
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 adjusts the provisioned read capacity units (RCUs) based on actual traffic patterns, preventing throttling during peak hours without manual intervention. Since the table has high-cardinality partition keys and is read-heavy, throttling is likely due to insufficient RCUs, which Auto Scaling dynamically increases to match demand.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable DynamoDB Auto Scaling for the table.
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling adjusts capacity based on traffic, preventing throttling efficiently.
- ✗
Switch the table to on-demand capacity mode.
Why it's wrong here
On-demand scales automatically but may be more expensive; auto scaling is more cost-effective.
- ✗
Increase the provisioned write capacity units.
Why it's wrong here
Read throttling is not resolved by increasing write capacity.
- ✗
Add a global secondary index (GSI) to distribute reads.
Why it's wrong here
GSI does not increase base table capacity.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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