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 running a production Amazon DynamoDB table that supports a gaming application with millions of concurrent users. The table uses on-demand capacity mode. Recently, the application started experiencing throttling (ProvisionedThroughputExceededException) during peak hours. The company wants to resolve this with minimal operational overhead. What should the company do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Request a service quota increase for the on-demand table's maximum throughput
On-demand capacity mode in DynamoDB has a default throughput quota (typically 40,000 read/write request units per second per table, though this can vary by region and account). When traffic exceeds this soft limit, DynamoDB returns ProvisionedThroughputExceededException. Requesting a service quota increase raises this ceiling, allowing the table to handle higher bursts without throttling, and requires no architectural changes or capacity management—minimizing operational overhead.
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.
✗
Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) to cache reads
Why it's wrong here
DAX caches reads, not writes; throttling is likely writes.
✗
Partition the table across multiple tables and use application-level sharding
Why it's wrong here
Adds complexity; on-demand should handle spikes if limits are high enough.
✓
Request a service quota increase for the on-demand table's maximum throughput
Why this is correct
On-demand tables have default throughput limits that can be increased.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Switch to provisioned capacity mode with auto scaling
Why it's wrong here
On-demand is simpler; throttling indicates a limit issue, not scaling.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume on-demand capacity is unlimited and never throttles, but AWS imposes a default throughput quota per table that must be explicitly raised for sustained high-traffic workloads.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DynamoDB on-demand tables have a per-table throughput quota that is separate from the account-level service quotas; this quota is a soft limit that can be increased via a support ticket or the Service Quotas console. Under the hood, DynamoDB uses a token bucket algorithm for throttling—when the burst capacity is exhausted, requests are rejected. A quota increase effectively enlarges the bucket size and refill rate, allowing sustained higher traffic without re-architecting the application.
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.
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: Request a service quota increase for the on-demand table's maximum throughput — On-demand capacity mode in DynamoDB has a default throughput quota (typically 40,000 read/write request units per second per table, though this can vary by region and account). When traffic exceeds this soft limit, DynamoDB returns ProvisionedThroughputExceededException. Requesting a service quota increase raises this ceiling, allowing the table to handle higher bursts without throttling, and requires no architectural changes or capacity management—minimizing operational overhead.
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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