The correct answers are A and B: adding a random suffix to the partition key and increasing the write capacity units. This resolves DynamoDB throttling due to hot partitions because a single partition is limited to 1000 WCU; when a partition key like 'userId' creates uneven access, one partition can hit its ceiling even though overall consumed capacity is only 500, causing throttled write requests. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that provisioned throughput is distributed across partitions, and a hot partition throttles independently of total capacity. A common trap is assuming DAX (Option D) helps writes—it only caches reads—or that Global Tables (Option E) reduce throttling, when they actually replicate writes and can worsen it. Memory tip: “Hot partition, cool fix—spread the key or raise the ceiling.”
DBS-C01 Monitoring and Troubleshooting Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and troubleshooting. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 troubleshooting an Amazon DynamoDB table that is throttling write requests. The table has a partition key ('userId') and a sort key ('timestamp'). The 'WriteCapacityUnits' is set to 1000. CloudWatch shows 'ThrottledWriteRequests' but the 'ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits' is only 500. Which TWO actions could resolve the throttling?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a random suffix to the partition key to distribute writes more evenly
Option A is correct because a hot partition can throttle even if overall capacity is underutilized; adjusting the partition key design can distribute writes. Option D is correct because using DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) can offload read traffic but does not affect writes; actually DAX is for reads. Option B is correct because increasing write capacity ensures enough capacity for peaks. Option C is wrong because removing the sort key changes the table structure and may not help with partition hotness. Option E is wrong because Global Tables replicate writes and may increase throttling. So correct answers: B and E? Let's re-evaluate: The issue is write throttling despite consumed capacity below provisioned. This indicates a hot partition. Option A: Adding a random suffix to partition key helps distribute writes across partitions. Option B: Increasing write capacity may help if the hot partition is still within limits, but if a single partition is throttled due to its own limit, increasing total capacity may increase the partition limit. Actually, DynamoDB's partition capacity is 1000 WCU per partition; if a single partition receives more than 1000 WCU, it throttles. Increasing total WCU may increase the partition count, distributing the load. Option C: Removing the sort key does not affect partition distribution. Option D: DAX is a read cache, not for writes. Option E: Global Tables add more write replication and could increase throttling. So likely correct: A and B. Option A is a design change to avoid hot partition. Option B increases total capacity, which may increase partitions. So answer: A, B.
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.
✓
Add a random suffix to the partition key to distribute writes more evenly
Why this is correct
Randomizing the partition key helps distribute write load across partitions, reducing throttling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) to cache writes
Why it's wrong here
DAX is a read cache and does not handle write requests.
✓
Increase the write capacity units to allow more throughput
Why this is correct
Increasing WCU can increase the number of partitions, distributing the load.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable Global Tables to replicate writes across regions
Why it's wrong here
Global Tables add more writes and could increase throttling.
✗
Remove the sort key and use only a partition key
Why it's wrong here
Removing the sort key does not affect partition distribution.
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 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 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.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting — This question tests Monitoring and Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a random suffix to the partition key to distribute writes more evenly — Option A is correct because a hot partition can throttle even if overall capacity is underutilized; adjusting the partition key design can distribute writes. Option D is correct because using DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) can offload read traffic but does not affect writes; actually DAX is for reads. Option B is correct because increasing write capacity ensures enough capacity for peaks. Option C is wrong because removing the sort key changes the table structure and may not help with partition hotness. Option E is wrong because Global Tables replicate writes and may increase throttling. So correct answers: B and E? Let's re-evaluate: The issue is write throttling despite consumed capacity below provisioned. This indicates a hot partition. Option A: Adding a random suffix to partition key helps distribute writes across partitions. Option B: Increasing write capacity may help if the hot partition is still within limits, but if a single partition is throttled due to its own limit, increasing total capacity may increase the partition limit. Actually, DynamoDB's partition capacity is 1000 WCU per partition; if a single partition receives more than 1000 WCU, it throttles. Increasing total WCU may increase the partition count, distributing the load. Option C: Removing the sort key does not affect partition distribution. Option D: DAX is a read cache, not for writes. Option E: Global Tables add more write replication and could increase throttling. So likely correct: A and B. Option A is a design change to avoid hot partition. Option B increases total capacity, which may increase partitions. So answer: A, B.
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.
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 running a production Amazon DynamoDB table and notices that read requests are being throttled. The table has on-demand capacity mode enabled. Which action should the database specialist take to troubleshoot the throttling?
easy
✓ A.Check the CloudWatch metric 'ThrottledRequests' for the table and review 'SystemErrors' to identify hot partitions.
B.Enable auto scaling on the table to automatically adjust capacity.
C.Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) to reduce read load on the table.
D.Switch the table to provisioned capacity mode and increase the read capacity units.
Why A: Option A is correct because throttling with on-demand capacity can be due to a single partition receiving too many requests. Option B is wrong because switching to provisioned capacity does not fix the root cause. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch does not have a metric for hot partitions. Option D is wrong because enabling auto scaling is for provisioned capacity.
Variation 2. A company uses Amazon DynamoDB and notices that some queries are taking longer than expected. The table has a partition key only. The 'ConsumedReadCapacityUnits' is below the provisioned throughput. What is the most likely cause of the slow queries?
easy
A.DAX is misconfigured and slowing down reads
B.Global tables replication is causing delays
C.DynamoDB Streams is enabled and consuming read capacity
✓ D.The partition key is not distributed evenly, causing hot partitions
Why D: Option C is correct because if the partition key is not chosen well, data can be skewed, causing hot partitions. Even if total consumed capacity is below provisioned, a single partition may receive more requests than its share of capacity, causing throttling on that partition. Option A is wrong because global tables do not cause slow queries on the source table. Option B is wrong because DynamoDB Streams do not affect read latency. Option D is wrong because DAX is a caching layer that speeds up reads, not slows them.
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