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Question 846 of 1,730

Management and Operations →mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to create a local secondary index (LSI) on the score attribute with the same partition key. This is correct because an LSI shares the table’s partition key, allowing DynamoDB to efficiently sort items within a single partition—here, a specific player’s scores—by the indexed score attribute in descending order, enabling a top-N query per partition without scanning all items. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of when to use an LSI versus a GSI: a GSI cannot guarantee sorted results within a single partition key because it uses a different partition key, while an LSI preserves the original partition key’s locality. A common trap is choosing a GSI on score, which would sort globally across all players, not per player. Remember the memory tip: “LSI for local sort, GSI for global scope”—if you need to sort within a single partition, always reach for an LSI.

DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question

This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. 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 using Amazon DynamoDB for a gaming application. The application stores player scores in a table with a partition key of player_id and a sort key of timestamp. The company wants to query the top 10 scores for a given player efficiently. Which TWO steps should the company take to optimize this query?

Question 1mediummulti select

Full question →

A
Use the Query API with the LSI and scan index forward set to false to get the top scores.
Querying the LSI with ScanIndexForward=false returns items in descending order, efficiently retrieving the top scores.
B
Create a local secondary index (LSI) on the score attribute with the same partition key.
An LSI allows efficient querying and sorting by score within a player's partition.
C
Use a Scan operation with a filter expression to retrieve the top scores.
Why wrong: Scan is inefficient and consumes many read capacity units.
D
Create a local secondary index on the timestamp attribute.
Why wrong: The timestamp is already a sort key; an LSI on timestamp would not help sort by score.
E
Create a global secondary index (GSI) on the score attribute.
Why wrong: A GSI would partition by score, not by player_id, so it would not efficiently retrieve top scores per player.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use the Query API with the LSI and scan index forward set to false to get the top scores.

A local secondary index (LSI) on score allows efficient sorting within a partition. A global secondary index (GSI) on score would not be efficient for per-player queries. The correct options are A and D. Option B (GSI) would not help per-player sorting. Option C (scan) is inefficient. Option E (LSI on timestamp) is already present.

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.

✓
Use the Query API with the LSI and scan index forward set to false to get the top scores.
Why this is correct
Querying the LSI with ScanIndexForward=false returns items in descending order, efficiently retrieving the top scores.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create a local secondary index (LSI) on the score attribute with the same partition key.
Why this is correct
An LSI allows efficient querying and sorting by score within a player's partition.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a Scan operation with a filter expression to retrieve the top scores.
Why it's wrong here
Scan is inefficient and consumes many read capacity units.
✗
Create a local secondary index on the timestamp attribute.
Why it's wrong here
The timestamp is already a sort key; an LSI on timestamp would not help sort by score.
✗
Create a global secondary index (GSI) on the score attribute.
Why it's wrong here
A GSI would partition by score, not by player_id, so it would not efficiently retrieve top scores per player.

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DBS-C01 question test?

Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use the Query API with the LSI and scan index forward set to false to get the top scores. — A local secondary index (LSI) on score allows efficient sorting within a partition. A global secondary index (GSI) on score would not be efficient for per-player queries. The correct options are A and D. Option B (GSI) would not help per-player sorting. Option C (scan) is inefficient. Option E (LSI on timestamp) is already present.

What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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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.