DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many 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.
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
✓
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.
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.
- ✗
Switch to provisioned capacity mode with auto scaling
Why it's wrong here
Switching to provisioned capacity mode, even with auto scaling, would increase operational overhead as it necessitates defining minimums, maximums, and scaling policies, which on-demand capacity mode abstracts away. On-demand capacity already provides automatic scaling for unpredictable workloads with minimal management. This option is tempting because auto scaling addresses throttling in provisioned mode, which is suitable for predictable workloads with occasional spikes where cost optimisation and baseline capacity control are priorities.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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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.