Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon CloudWatch Logs because it is purpose-built for storing and analyzing timestamped log data from distributed sources, with native support for time-range aggregations through its Logs Insights query engine. Unlike relational databases or key-value stores, CloudWatch Logs automatically indexes log events by timestamp, enabling efficient scanning and aggregation across specified time windows without the overhead of schema management or secondary indexes. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of specialized versus general-purpose database services—a common trap is choosing DynamoDB for its scalability, but its query model lacks native time-series aggregation functions. Remember the memory tip: “Logs love time ranges,” so when you see timestamped, rarely updated data with aggregation queries, think CloudWatch Logs first, not a transactional database.
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. 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 needs to store and analyze log data from thousands of servers. The logs are timestamped and rarely updated. Queries are mostly time-range aggregations. Which database service is best suited for this workload?
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.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
CloudWatch Logs is purpose-built for log ingestion, storage, and analysis.
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why wrong: ElastiCache is for caching, not persistent log storage.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB can store logs but aggregation queries are inefficient.
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
Why wrong: RDS is relational and not optimized for time-series log data.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Option B is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Logs is a managed service for log storage and analysis. Option A (RDS) is not optimized for log data. Option C (DynamoDB) is not designed for log aggregation queries. Option D (ElastiCache) is an in-memory cache, not persistent log storage.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Logs is purpose-built for log ingestion, storage, and analysis.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is for caching, not persistent log storage.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB can store logs but aggregation queries are inefficient.
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
Why it's wrong here
RDS is relational and not optimized for time-series log data.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon CloudWatch Logs — Option B is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Logs is a managed service for log storage and analysis. Option A (RDS) is not optimized for log data. Option C (DynamoDB) is not designed for log aggregation queries. Option D (ElastiCache) is an in-memory cache, not persistent log storage.
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.
Yes — watch for: "best". 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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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