The answer is Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 with Aurora Global Database. This combination is correct because it provides a relational database with full ACID transaction support and strong consistency, while the Aurora Global Database feature enables low-latency reads across multiple regions by replicating data to up to five secondary AWS Regions with typical latency under one second. For unpredictable workloads, Aurora Serverless v2 automatically scales capacity from a fraction of an ACU to hundreds of ACUs based on demand, so you only pay for the resources you consume during spikes and idle periods. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between serverless relational and non-relational services—a common trap is choosing DynamoDB for its serverless nature, but it is not relational, or selecting RDS Multi-AZ, which lacks serverless scaling. Memory tip: think “Serverless + Global = Relational reads worldwide without overprovisioning.”
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 new application that requires a relational database with strong consistency and support for transactions. The application will be accessed by users worldwide, and the database must provide low-latency reads in multiple regions. The company expects the workload to be unpredictable, with periods of very low activity followed by sudden spikes. They want to minimize operational overhead and only pay for the resources they use. Which AWS database solution should they choose?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 with Aurora Global Database.
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 is a good choice for unpredictable workloads because it auto-scales capacity based on demand and you pay only for what you use. It also supports Aurora Global Database for low-latency reads in multiple regions. RDS does not have serverless capability. DynamoDB is serverless but not relational. Redshift is for analytics. So the best is Aurora Serverless v2 with Global Database.
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 Redshift with cross-Region snapshots.
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is a data warehouse, not suitable for OLTP workloads with sub-second latency.
✓
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 with Aurora Global Database.
Why this is correct
Aurora Serverless v2 automatically scales capacity, supports ACID transactions, and Global Database provides low-latency multi-region reads.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL with read replicas in multiple regions.
Why it's wrong here
RDS is not serverless; you pay for provisioned capacity even when idle, and scaling is manual.
✗
Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables.
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is NoSQL, not relational, and does not support complex joins or transactions in the same way.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 Aurora Serverless v2 with Aurora Global Database. — Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 is a good choice for unpredictable workloads because it auto-scales capacity based on demand and you pay only for what you use. It also supports Aurora Global Database for low-latency reads in multiple regions. RDS does not have serverless capability. DynamoDB is serverless but not relational. Redshift is for analytics. So the best is Aurora Serverless v2 with Global Database.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is designing a new application that requires a relational database with read replicas for reporting. The application has unpredictable traffic patterns. The company wants to minimize operational overhead and automatically scale compute capacity. Which THREE services should the company consider?
medium
A.Amazon DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
B.Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ
✓ C.Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL with read replicas
✓ D.Amazon Aurora Serverless v2
✓ E.Amazon RDS Proxy
Why C: Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL with read replicas is correct because it supports up to 15 read replicas for offloading reporting workloads, and with Multi-AZ deployment, it can automatically failover to a standby instance. However, for automatic scaling of compute capacity, you would need to combine it with a scaling solution like Aurora or use RDS for PostgreSQL with a manual scaling process, but the question specifically asks for automatic scaling, which is better addressed by Aurora Serverless v2. The read replicas provide the necessary separation for reporting without impacting the primary database.
Variation 2. A company is designing a new application that requires a relational database with sub-millisecond read latency for a global user base. The workload is read-heavy with occasional writes. Which database solution should they choose?
medium
A.Amazon DynamoDB with DAX
B.Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ
✓ C.Amazon Aurora with Auto Scaling
D.Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why C: Amazon Aurora with Auto Scaling is the correct choice because it provides a relational database (MySQL/PostgreSQL-compatible) with sub-millisecond read latency via its distributed storage layer and read replicas. The read-heavy workload benefits from Aurora's automatic scaling of read capacity, while occasional writes are efficiently handled by the cluster volume. Aurora's architecture decouples compute and storage, enabling fast failover and consistent performance for global users.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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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