The correct choice is DynamoDB Global Tables for multi-region disaster recovery because they provide active-active replication across AWS Regions with automatic conflict resolution, ensuring data is available within the 15-minute RTO without manual failover steps. Global Tables replicate every write to all configured Regions in sub-second latency, so session data remains consistent and accessible even during a full regional outage, meeting the on-demand capacity table’s need for zero-touch recovery. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of DynamoDB’s built-in replication versus manual approaches like backup-and-restore or cross-Region read replicas, which cannot guarantee the sub-15-minute RTO. A common trap is choosing DynamoDB Streams with a Lambda function, but that adds latency and complexity; Global Tables handle replication natively. Memory tip: “Global Tables = Global Availability” — if the RTO is under 15 minutes and you need multi-Region writes, always pick Global Tables.
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 disaster recovery plan for an Amazon DynamoDB table that stores critical session data. The table is provisioned with on-demand capacity. The recovery objective is to have the data available in another AWS Region within 15 minutes of a regional outage. Which 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 DynamoDB Global Tables to replicate data across Regions.
Option C is correct because DynamoDB Global Tables provide multi-Region, fully replicated tables with automatic conflict resolution, enabling active-active replication that meets the 15-minute recovery objective without manual intervention. Global Tables replicate data across Regions in sub-second latency, ensuring data availability within the required RTO during a regional outage.
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.
✗
Use DynamoDB on-demand backups and restore to another Region.
Why it's wrong here
Restoring from backup takes longer than 15 minutes.
✗
Use DynamoDB Streams to replicate data to a table in another Region via AWS Lambda.
Why it's wrong here
This approach may introduce latency and complexity.
✓
Use DynamoDB Global Tables to replicate data across Regions.
Why this is correct
Global Tables provide active-active replication across Regions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create cross-Region Read Replicas for DynamoDB.
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB does not support cross-region read replicas.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse DynamoDB Global Tables with cross-Region Read Replicas (which exist in RDS but not DynamoDB) or assume that on-demand backups can meet a 15-minute RTO, ignoring the manual restore time and lack of continuous replication.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DynamoDB Global Tables leverage the DynamoDB Streams infrastructure internally to replicate changes across Regions, using a last-writer-wins (LWW) conflict resolution mechanism based on the timestamp in the update. The replication is asynchronous but typically completes within seconds, and the table must be created as a global table from the start or converted via the AWS Management Console; existing tables cannot be retroactively made global without data migration. In a real-world scenario, if a company needs sub-minute RPO, Global Tables are the only native DynamoDB solution that provides continuous replication without custom infrastructure.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
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: Use DynamoDB Global Tables to replicate data across Regions. — Option C is correct because DynamoDB Global Tables provide multi-Region, fully replicated tables with automatic conflict resolution, enabling active-active replication that meets the 15-minute recovery objective without manual intervention. Global Tables replicate data across Regions in sub-second latency, ensuring data availability within the required RTO during a regional outage.
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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Question Discussion
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