- A
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis with global datastore.
Why wrong: ElastiCache Global Datastore provides cross-region replication but CloudFront is not used; Redis is not as globally distributed.
- B
Amazon DynamoDB Global Tables.
Global Tables replicate data across regions, enabling low-latency local reads.
- C
Amazon CloudFront with a custom origin pointing to DynamoDB.
CloudFront caches responses at edge locations, reducing latency for repeated reads.
- D
Amazon RDS for MySQL with cross-Region read replicas.
Why wrong: Cross-region replicas have higher latency and may not achieve single-digit millisecond reads globally.
- E
Amazon Aurora Global Database.
Why wrong: Aurora Global Database provides fast replication but typically ~1 second, not single-digit millisecond.
Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon CloudFront with a custom origin pointing to DynamoDB, combined with DynamoDB Global Tables. This combination achieves single-digit millisecond reads globally because Global Tables replicate user profile data across multiple AWS Regions with sub-second latency, ensuring a local replica is always nearby, while CloudFront caches frequently accessed responses at edge locations to minimize round-trip time for eventual consistency workloads. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of when to layer a CDN over a multi-region database to meet strict latency SLAs without requiring strong consistency—a common trap is choosing DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX), which only helps in a single Region and cannot reduce cross-Region latency. Remember the memory tip: “Global Tables for the globe, CloudFront for the curb,” meaning Global Tables handles regional replication, and CloudFront brings the data to the user’s doorstep.
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
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 solution for a global user base that requires single-digit millisecond read latency for user profile data. The data is eventually consistent and can tolerate a few seconds of staleness. Which TWO AWS services or features should be combined to achieve this latency?
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 DynamoDB Global Tables.
Amazon DynamoDB Global Tables provides a fully managed, multi-Region, multi-active database that replicates data across AWS Regions with sub-second latency, enabling single-digit millisecond reads for user profile data. Combined with Amazon CloudFront as a CDN, you can cache DynamoDB responses at edge locations, further reducing read latency for a global user base while tolerating eventual consistency and a few seconds of staleness.
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.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis with global datastore.
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache Global Datastore provides cross-region replication but CloudFront is not used; Redis is not as globally distributed.
- ✓
Amazon DynamoDB Global Tables.
Why this is correct
Global Tables replicate data across regions, enabling low-latency local reads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Amazon CloudFront with a custom origin pointing to DynamoDB.
Why this is correct
CloudFront caches responses at edge locations, reducing latency for repeated reads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for MySQL with cross-Region read replicas.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region replicas have higher latency and may not achieve single-digit millisecond reads globally.
- ✗
Amazon Aurora Global Database.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora Global Database provides fast replication but typically ~1 second, not single-digit millisecond.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume Amazon ElastiCache or Aurora Global Database are required for single-digit millisecond latency, overlooking how DynamoDB Global Tables combined with CloudFront caching can achieve this without the complexity of managing a separate cache layer or dealing with cross-Region replication lag.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DynamoDB Global Tables uses last-writer-wins conflict resolution based on the timestamp in the DynamoDB Streams record, ensuring eventual consistency across Regions. CloudFront can cache DynamoDB responses using Lambda@Edge or CloudFront Functions to reduce origin load, but cache hits depend on TTL settings and request patterns; for user profile data, a TTL of a few seconds aligns with the staleness tolerance. Under the hood, DynamoDB reads from local replicas in each Region, and CloudFront edge locations further reduce latency by serving cached responses from the nearest point of presence.
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 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
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon DynamoDB Global Tables. — Amazon DynamoDB Global Tables provides a fully managed, multi-Region, multi-active database that replicates data across AWS Regions with sub-second latency, enabling single-digit millisecond reads for user profile data. Combined with Amazon CloudFront as a CDN, you can cache DynamoDB responses at edge locations, further reducing read latency for a global user base while tolerating eventual consistency and a few seconds of staleness.
What should I do if I get this DBS-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: 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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