DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A data engineer needs to store JSON documents that are frequently updated and require ACID transactions. Which AWS database service is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates may choose DynamoDB because it supports ACID transactions and can store JSON-like items. However, DynamoDB is a key-value/document store optimized for single-digit millisecond performance at scale, not for general-purpose JSON document storage with rich querying and multi-document transactions. DocumentDB is the AWS service specifically designed for JSON document workloads with ACID transaction support.
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
✓
Amazon DocumentDB
Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility) is the correct choice because it is a fully managed document database designed to store, query, and index JSON-like documents. It supports multi-document ACID transactions, providing atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability for frequently updated JSON documents. DocumentDB also offers a MongoDB-compatible API, making it a natural fit for JSON document workloads. While Amazon DynamoDB supports ACID transactions via TransactWriteItems and TransactGetItems and can store JSON-like items, it is primarily a key-value and document store with a different data model and is not the AWS service purpose-built for general-purpose JSON document storage with complex querying and multi-document transactions. Amazon Neptune is a graph database, and Amazon S3 is object storage without ACID transactional semantics, so neither is appropriate.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Amazon Neptune
Why it's wrong here
Neptune is a graph database, not suitable for JSON document storage.
- ✓
Amazon DocumentDB
Why this is correct
DocumentDB is for MongoDB workloads, ACID transactions are not fully supported.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB supports JSON and ACID transactions.
- ✗
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage, not a database; no ACID transactions.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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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.