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.
Network Topology
An application uses the 'orders' DynamoDB table with the schema and provisioned throughput shown in the exhibit. The application frequently queries by customer_id (range key) without specifying the order_id (partition key). What is the most likely impact on performance?
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.
Network Topology
A
Queries will require a full table scan, consuming significant read capacity.
Without partition key, DynamoDB scans the entire table.
B
Queries will be throttled because the table does not have a global secondary index.
Why wrong: Throttling may occur due to high read consumption, but not directly due to missing GSI.
C
Queries will be fast because the sort key is indexed.
Why wrong: The sort key is only efficient within a partition key.
D
Queries will cause hot partitions on the table.
Why wrong: Hot partitions are caused by uneven access patterns, not by missing partition key.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Queries will require a full table scan, consuming significant read capacity.
Option A is correct because the application queries by customer_id (the sort key) without specifying order_id (the partition key). In DynamoDB, a Query operation requires the partition key to be specified; without it, the only way to retrieve items is a full table Scan, which reads every item in the table. This consumes read capacity proportional to the entire table size, leading to high latency and cost.
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.
✓
Queries will require a full table scan, consuming significant read capacity.
Why this is correct
Without partition key, DynamoDB scans the entire table.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Queries will be throttled because the table does not have a global secondary index.
Why it's wrong here
Throttling may occur due to high read consumption, but not directly due to missing GSI.
✗
Queries will be fast because the sort key is indexed.
Why it's wrong here
The sort key is only efficient within a partition key.
✗
Queries will cause hot partitions on the table.
Why it's wrong here
Hot partitions are caused by uneven access patterns, not by missing partition key.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the sort key alone can be used for efficient queries, forgetting that DynamoDB's indexing requires the partition key to be specified for a Query operation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, DynamoDB's primary key index is a hash-and-range structure: the partition key is hashed to determine the physical partition, and within that partition, items are sorted by the sort key. A Query without the partition key cannot route to a specific partition, forcing a sequential Scan across all partitions. In real-world scenarios, this is a common anti-pattern that leads to excessive read costs and poor performance, especially as the table grows; the correct solution is to create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) with customer_id as the partition key.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: Queries will require a full table scan, consuming significant read capacity. — Option A is correct because the application queries by customer_id (the sort key) without specifying order_id (the partition key). In DynamoDB, a Query operation requires the partition key to be specified; without it, the only way to retrieve items is a full table Scan, which reads every item in the table. This consumes read capacity proportional to the entire table size, leading to high latency and cost.
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". 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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