DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A company runs a data warehouse on Amazon Redshift. The workload has frequent DELETE and UPDATE operations on a large fact table. Over time, query performance degrades. Which maintenance operation should be scheduled regularly to optimize performance?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse VACUUM FULL (a PostgreSQL command) with Redshift's VACUUM options, or assume that changing the DISTKEY or recreating the table is a practical maintenance strategy instead of using the native VACUUM and ANALYZE commands.
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
✓
Run VACUUM and ANALYZE commands regularly
B is correct because frequent DELETE and UPDATE operations in Redshift create ghost rows and cause table bloat, degrading query performance. Running VACUUM reclaims space and re-sorts rows, while ANALYZE updates table statistics for the query optimizer; together they restore performance without requiring a full table rebuild.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run VACUUM FULL during maintenance windows
Why it's wrong here
More aggressive but not needed regularly.
- ✓
Run VACUUM and ANALYZE commands regularly
Why this is correct
Reclaims space and updates statistics for better query plans.
- ✗
Alter the table to use a different DISTKEY
Why it's wrong here
Requires table rebuild and does not address delete/update bloat.
- ✗
Drop and recreate the table periodically
Why it's wrong here
Disruptive and loses data.
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