DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A company is designing a database for an e-commerce platform that requires ACID transactions for order processing, complex joins for inventory reporting, and the ability to scale read replicas across multiple AWS regions. Which database service best meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose DynamoDB for its scalability but overlook the explicit requirement for complex joins, which DynamoDB cannot perform natively, or they choose RDS for SQL Server without realizing its strict limit on read replicas and lack of native cross-region replication.
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
✓
Amazon Aurora
Amazon Aurora is the correct choice because it provides full ACID compliance for transactional workloads, supports complex joins via its MySQL/PostgreSQL-compatible relational engine, and offers up to 15 low-latency read replicas that can be placed in multiple AWS Regions using Aurora Global Database. This combination of strong consistency, relational query capabilities, and cross-region read scaling directly matches the e-commerce platform's requirements.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon Aurora
Why this is correct
Aurora offers ACID transactions, complex joins, and cross-region read replicas.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB transactions are limited and do not support complex joins.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for SQL Server
Why it's wrong here
RDS SQL Server supports ACID but cross-region replicas are not as fully featured as Aurora.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is for analytics, not transactional workloads.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.