DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. 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 company is designing a database for a ride-sharing application that requires real-time location updates and driver-passenger matching. The database must support geospatial queries to find nearby drivers within a radius. The expected throughput is 10,000 writes per second and 5,000 reads per second. The company wants a fully managed solution with low latency. The application team has experience with PostgreSQL. Which database design should they choose?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL with the PostGIS extension and use read replicas for scaling reads.
Option A is correct because Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL supports PostGIS for geospatial queries, can scale to handle the throughput with write replicas and auto-scaling, and is fully managed. Option B (DynamoDB) is not ideal for geospatial queries; it requires complex partitioning. Option C (DynamoDB with GSI) still not good for radius queries. Option D (RDS MySQL) has geospatial support but may not scale as well as Aurora.
Key principle: Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Use Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL with the PostGIS extension and use read replicas for scaling reads.
Why this is correct
Aurora PostgreSQL with PostGIS provides geospatial support, scalability, and managed service.
Related concept
Authentication checks who the user is.
✗
Use Amazon DynamoDB with a geospatial library to encode locations into a partition key.
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB lacks native geospatial query support and requires workarounds.
✗
Use Amazon DynamoDB with a global secondary index on a geohash attribute for proximity queries.
Why it's wrong here
Geohash is approximate and may not meet precision requirements; also not fully managed for geospatial.
✗
Use Amazon RDS for MySQL with spatial indexes and Multi-AZ deployment.
Why it's wrong here
RDS MySQL may not handle the required throughput as easily as Aurora.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Authentication checks who the user is.
Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
→Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
→Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
→Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
Key takeaway
Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
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.
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related DBS-C01 questions on access control and AAA configuration.
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Authentication checks who the user is..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL with the PostGIS extension and use read replicas for scaling reads. — Option A is correct because Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL supports PostGIS for geospatial queries, can scale to handle the throughput with write replicas and auto-scaling, and is fully managed. Option B (DynamoDB) is not ideal for geospatial queries; it requires complex partitioning. Option C (DynamoDB with GSI) still not good for radius queries. Option D (RDS MySQL) has geospatial support but may not scale as well as Aurora.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related DBS-C01 questions on access control and AAA configuration.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Authentication checks who the user is.
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