- A
Create a table with partition key = customer_id and sort key = timestamp.
Allows querying by customer_id and sorting by timestamp to get latest entries.
- B
Use Amazon S3 with customer_id as prefix and timestamp as object name.
Why wrong: S3 is not designed for low-latency queries like DynamoDB.
- C
Create a table with partition key = concatenated customer_id and timestamp.
Why wrong: Cannot query by customer_id alone; would require full scan.
- D
Create a table with partition key = timestamp and sort key = customer_id.
Why wrong: This would scatter data across partitions and make queries inefficient.
Question 625 of 1,786
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
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.
A data engineer is migrating an on-premises Apache HBase workload to Amazon DynamoDB. The HBase table has a row key with composite structure: customer_id (10 chars) + timestamp (10 digits). The access pattern is to query by customer_id and retrieve the latest entries. How should the DynamoDB table be designed to optimize performance?
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
✓
Create a table with partition key = customer_id and sort key = timestamp.
Option A is correct because DynamoDB's partition key (customer_id) evenly distributes data across partitions, while the sort key (timestamp) enables efficient range queries using Query with ScanIndexForward=false to retrieve the latest entries. This design directly maps the HBase composite row key pattern to DynamoDB's primary key structure, optimizing for the described access pattern.
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.
- ✓
Create a table with partition key = customer_id and sort key = timestamp.
Why this is correct
Allows querying by customer_id and sorting by timestamp to get latest entries.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Amazon S3 with customer_id as prefix and timestamp as object name.
Why it's wrong here
S3 is not designed for low-latency queries like DynamoDB.
- ✗
Create a table with partition key = concatenated customer_id and timestamp.
Why it's wrong here
Cannot query by customer_id alone; would require full scan.
- ✗
Create a table with partition key = timestamp and sort key = customer_id.
Why it's wrong here
This would scatter data across partitions and make queries inefficient.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think concatenating the row key into a single partition key (Option C) preserves the query pattern, but DynamoDB requires the partition key to be known exactly for queries, making it impossible to query by customer_id alone without a full scan.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DynamoDB's Query operation on a table with a sort key supports the BETWEEN, BEGINS_WITH, and comparison operators, allowing efficient retrieval of the latest entries by ordering results in descending order (ScanIndexForward=false). The partition key design must ensure high cardinality to avoid throttling; customer_id typically provides sufficient uniqueness, while timestamp as sort key enables time-series queries without hot partitions, unlike using timestamp as partition key which would cause uneven load.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
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: Create a table with partition key = customer_id and sort key = timestamp. — Option A is correct because DynamoDB's partition key (customer_id) evenly distributes data across partitions, while the sort key (timestamp) enables efficient range queries using Query with ScanIndexForward=false to retrieve the latest entries. This design directly maps the HBase composite row key pattern to DynamoDB's primary key structure, optimizing for the described access pattern.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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