DBS-C01 READ COMMITTED Practice Question
A company is using Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition. The database has frequent deadlocks, and the application team suspects that the isolation level is causing the issue. The current isolation level is REPEATABLE READ. The team wants to reduce deadlocks while maintaining data consistency. Which isolation level should be recommended?
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
✓
READ COMMITTED
(READ COMMITTED) is correct because it reduces locking compared to REPEATABLE READ, which helps minimize deadlocks in high-concurrency environments. In READ COMMITTED, MySQL uses row-level locks only for the duration of the statement, not the entire transaction, reducing the chance of deadlocks. It still provides consistent reads at the statement level, avoiding dirty reads. Option A (READ UNCOMMITTED) is wrong because it allows dirty reads and is not suitable for transactional consistency. Option C (SNAPSHOT ISOLATION) is wrong because it is not supported by MySQL; it is a SQL Server feature. Option D (SERIALIZABLE) is wrong because it increases locking, leading to more deadlocks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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READ UNCOMMITTED
Why it's wrong here
READ UNCOMMITTED allows dirty reads, which can lead to data inconsistency issues.
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READ COMMITTED
Why this is correct
READ COMMITTED reduces the number of locks held, thereby decreasing the likelihood of deadlocks while still preventing dirty reads.
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SNAPSHOT ISOLATION
Why it's wrong here
SNAPSHOT ISOLATION is not a valid isolation level for Amazon Aurora MySQL; it is specific to Microsoft SQL Server.
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SERIALIZABLE
Why it's wrong here
SERIALIZABLE increases locking and can actually increase the occurrence of deadlocks.
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