The answer is to configure DynamoDB Auto Scaling with a maximum WCU setting of 20,000 and a target utilization of 70%. This resolves hot partition throttling by allowing the table to automatically increase its provisioned write capacity during peak traffic, distributing the load more evenly across partitions without requiring any application code changes. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that DynamoDB hot partition throttling occurs when a single partition key receives disproportionate traffic, and that Auto Scaling is the correct operational fix when the table already has many partitions—manually increasing WCUs or using DAX (which only caches reads) will not solve write-side skew. A common trap is assuming Global Tables or manual capacity adjustments address the root cause, but they do not adapt to variable demand like Auto Scaling does. Memory tip: think “Auto Scale for hot tails”—when one key gets hot, let the table’s capacity auto-adjust to cool it down.
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A large e-commerce company uses Amazon DynamoDB to store shopping cart data. The table has a partition key of 'user_id' and a sort key of 'item_id'. The application performs frequent updates to the 'quantity' attribute for items in a user's cart. Recently, the operations team noticed that write requests are being throttled during peak shopping hours. The table is provisioned with 10,000 write capacity units (WCUs) and uses DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) for read caching. The data engineer suspects that the throttling is due to hot partitions. The application uses a single AWS SDK client configured with retries. After reviewing the Amazon CloudWatch metrics, the engineer sees that the WriteThrottleEvents metric spikes for a few partition keys. The table has a high number of partitions. What should the data engineer do to resolve the throttling issue with minimal application changes?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure DynamoDB Auto Scaling with a maximum WCU setting of 20,000 and a target utilization of 70%.
Option D is correct because using DynamoDB Auto Scaling with a higher maximum WCUs allows the table to scale up during peak demand, addressing hot partitions without code changes. Option A is wrong because increasing WCUs manually does not adapt to variable traffic. Option B is wrong because DAX is for reads, not writes. Option C is wrong because Global Tables replicate data but do not increase write capacity.
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.
✗
Increase the provisioned write capacity to 20,000 WCUs permanently.
Why it's wrong here
This may eliminate throttling but increases cost and does not adapt to variable traffic.
✗
Enable DynamoDB Global Tables to distribute writes across regions.
Why it's wrong here
Global Tables replicate data asynchronously and do not increase write capacity per table.
✗
Add more nodes to the DAX cluster to offload write traffic.
Why it's wrong here
DAX is a read cache and does not handle write requests.
✓
Configure DynamoDB Auto Scaling with a maximum WCU setting of 20,000 and a target utilization of 70%.
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling dynamically adjusts capacity based on traffic, reducing throttling without permanent overprovisioning.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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: Configure DynamoDB Auto Scaling with a maximum WCU setting of 20,000 and a target utilization of 70%. — Option D is correct because using DynamoDB Auto Scaling with a higher maximum WCUs allows the table to scale up during peak demand, addressing hot partitions without code changes. Option A is wrong because increasing WCUs manually does not adapt to variable traffic. Option B is wrong because DAX is for reads, not writes. Option C is wrong because Global Tables replicate data but do not increase write capacity.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. 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?
medium
A.The table has reached the maximum number of partitions
B.DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) is not configured
✓ C.Write traffic is unevenly distributed across partitions
D.A global secondary index is consuming write capacity
Why C: 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.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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.
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