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Question 280 of 1,730

Monitoring and Troubleshooting →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to redesign the partition key to distribute writes across multiple partitions. This is correct because using a single partition key like 'tournament_final' forces all write traffic to one physical partition, creating a hot partition. Even with on-demand capacity, DynamoDB enforces a per-partition throughput limit of 3,000 read or 1,000 write capacity units, so a single hot partition will throttle requests when that ceiling is exceeded, causing the ProvisionedThroughputExceededException and ThrottledRequests spikes. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that on-demand capacity does not eliminate per-partition limits—a common trap where candidates assume on-demand is infinite. The exam frequently pairs hot partition throttling with gaming leaderboards or time-series data to test partition key design. Remember the mnemonic: "Hot key, hot partition, hot mess—spread your writes for success."

DBS-C01 Monitoring and Troubleshooting Practice Question

This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and troubleshooting. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 leaderboard. The table has a partition key of 'game_id' and a sort key of 'score'. The table is configured with on-demand capacity. During a major tournament, the application experiences high latency and some requests return 'ProvisionedThroughputExceededException' errors. The CloudWatch metric 'ThrottledRequests' spikes. The application uses a single partition key for all writes during the tournament (game_id = 'tournament_final'). What is the most likely cause of the throttling, and what is the best solution?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
The application is using a single partition key, causing all writes to go to one partition. The team should redesign the partition key to distribute writes across multiple partitions
Distributing the write load across partitions avoids throttling.
B
The application is using a single partition key, causing all writes to go to one partition. The team should implement DAX to cache writes
Why wrong: DAX does not cache writes; it caches reads.
C
The table has a global secondary index that is throttling writes; the team should remove the GSI
Why wrong: The primary table is throttling, not the GSI.
D
The table is using on-demand capacity, which has a maximum throughput limit per partition; the team should switch to provisioned capacity with auto scaling
Why wrong: On-demand has per-partition limits; switching to provisioned may not solve the hot partition issue.

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

✓

The application is using a single partition key, causing all writes to go to one partition. The team should redesign the partition key to distribute writes across multiple partitions

Option C is correct because using a single partition key creates a hot partition, leading to throttling even with on-demand capacity (which has per-partition limits). The best solution is to redesign the partition key to distribute writes. Option A is incorrect because auto scaling is not needed for on-demand. Option B is incorrect because DAX caches reads, not writes. Option D is incorrect because creating a GSI does not affect write throttling on the base table.

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.

✓
The application is using a single partition key, causing all writes to go to one partition. The team should redesign the partition key to distribute writes across multiple partitions
Why this is correct
Distributing the write load across partitions avoids throttling.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The application is using a single partition key, causing all writes to go to one partition. The team should implement DAX to cache writes
Why it's wrong here
DAX does not cache writes; it caches reads.
✗
The table has a global secondary index that is throttling writes; the team should remove the GSI
Why it's wrong here
The primary table is throttling, not the GSI.
✗
The table is using on-demand capacity, which has a maximum throughput limit per partition; the team should switch to provisioned capacity with auto scaling
Why it's wrong here
On-demand has per-partition limits; switching to provisioned may not solve the hot partition issue.

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?

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: The application is using a single partition key, causing all writes to go to one partition. The team should redesign the partition key to distribute writes across multiple partitions — Option C is correct because using a single partition key creates a hot partition, leading to throttling even with on-demand capacity (which has per-partition limits). The best solution is to redesign the partition key to distribute writes. Option A is incorrect because auto scaling is not needed for on-demand. Option B is incorrect because DAX caches reads, not writes. Option D is incorrect because creating a GSI does not affect write throttling on the base table.

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

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "best", "most likely". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

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.