This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An e-commerce company uses Amazon DynamoDB as the primary data store for its product catalog. The table has a simple primary key (ProductID) and handles 10,000 writes per second during peak hours. Recently, the engineering team noticed increased write latency and throttled requests during peak times. The table's provisioned write capacity is set to 12,000 WCU. What is the most likely cause of the throttling?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Write traffic is unevenly distributed across partitions
Option C is correct because DynamoDB partitions data by the primary key's hash value. If write traffic is unevenly distributed across partitions (e.g., a few ProductIDs receive most writes), those hot partitions can exceed their individual throughput limits (3,000 WCU per partition for provisioned tables), causing throttling even when the table's total provisioned WCU of 12,000 is not fully utilized.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The table has reached the maximum number of partitions
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB automatically splits partitions as needed.
✗
DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) is not configured
Why it's wrong here
DAX is for read caching, not write throughput.
✓
Write traffic is unevenly distributed across partitions
Why this is correct
Uneven distribution can cause some partitions to throttle even if total capacity is adequate.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "most likely", "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A global secondary index is consuming write capacity
Why it's wrong here
GSIs consume separate write capacity, but that would not cause throttling on the base table.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume throttling only occurs when total provisioned capacity is exceeded, overlooking the per-partition throughput limits that cause throttling on hot partitions even when the table's overall WCU is underutilized.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Each DynamoDB partition can handle up to 3,000 read capacity units (RCU) or 1,000 write capacity units (WCU) per second, and up to 10 GB of storage. When a partition receives more than its allocated share of writes (e.g., due to a hot key), requests are throttled with a ProvisionedThroughputExceededException. This is a common issue with sequential or skewed access patterns, such as a product ID that is accessed far more frequently than others.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Write traffic is unevenly distributed across partitions — Option C is correct because DynamoDB partitions data by the primary key's hash value. If write traffic is unevenly distributed across partitions (e.g., a few ProductIDs receive most writes), those hot partitions can exceed their individual throughput limits (3,000 WCU per partition for provisioned tables), causing throttling even when the table's total provisioned WCU of 12,000 is not fully utilized.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely", "primary". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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