This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 company is designing a database for a global e-commerce platform that requires sub-millisecond read latencies from multiple AWS regions. The data is mostly read, with occasional writes. Which database solution meets these requirements?
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis with global datastore.
Why wrong: ElastiCache is a cache, not durable.
Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables.
DynamoDB Global Tables provide sub-millisecond latency and multi-region replication.
Amazon Aurora MySQL with Aurora Global Database.
Why wrong: Aurora Global Database has higher write latency.
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ and read replicas.
Why wrong: Multi-AZ is single region.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables.
Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables is the correct choice because it provides a fully managed, multi-Region, multi-master database that replicates data across AWS Regions with sub-second latency, enabling sub-millisecond read latencies for a globally distributed, mostly-read workload. The occasional writes are handled efficiently by the multi-master design, which automatically resolves conflicts using last-writer-wins semantics, ensuring strong eventual consistency.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis with global datastore.
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is a cache, not durable.
Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables.
Why this is correct
DynamoDB Global Tables provide sub-millisecond latency and multi-region replication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Aurora MySQL with Aurora Global Database.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora Global Database has higher write latency.
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ and read replicas.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ is single region.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'global read replicas' (like Aurora Global Database) with a true multi-Region, multi-master database that can provide sub-millisecond reads from any Region, leading them to choose Aurora MySQL despite its replication lag and single-writer limitation.
Detailed technical explanation
DynamoDB Global Tables use a fully asynchronous replication mechanism based on DynamoDB Streams, which captures item-level changes and propagates them to replica tables in other Regions with typical replication latency under one second. The sub-millisecond read performance is achieved through DynamoDB's SSD-backed storage and distributed architecture, which consistently delivers single-digit millisecond latencies at scale, and with DAX (DynamoDB Accelerator) as an optional in-memory cache, reads can be further reduced to microseconds. In a real-world scenario, a global e-commerce platform might use DynamoDB Global Tables to serve product catalog data from the nearest Region, with writes (e.g., inventory updates) propagated globally within seconds, ensuring a consistent customer experience without sacrificing durability.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables. — Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables is the correct choice because it provides a fully managed, multi-Region, multi-master database that replicates data across AWS Regions with sub-second latency, enabling sub-millisecond read latencies for a globally distributed, mostly-read workload. The occasional writes are handled efficiently by the multi-master design, which automatically resolves conflicts using last-writer-wins semantics, ensuring strong eventual consistency.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This DBS-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 DBS-C01 exam.
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