DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A company runs a financial application that requires ACID transactions on a relational database. The workload has a high volume of writes and reads, and the team wants to minimize operational overhead. Which AWS database service should they choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose Amazon DynamoDB with transactions enabled because it offers ACID transactions, but they overlook the requirement for a relational database, which DynamoDB does not provide, making Aurora the only option that combines relational ACID support with low operational overhead.
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
✓
Amazon Aurora (MySQL-compatible)
Amazon Aurora (MySQL-compatible) is the correct choice because it provides full ACID transaction support required for a financial application, while delivering high throughput for both reads and writes through its distributed, SSD-backed storage architecture. Aurora also minimizes operational overhead by automating tasks like replication, backups, and failover, and it offers up to 5x the throughput of standard MySQL without requiring manual sharding or tuning.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for Oracle
Why it's wrong here
RDS for Oracle has higher licensing costs and operational overhead compared to Aurora.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB with transactions enabled
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB transactions are limited and not fully relational.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache for Memcached
Why it's wrong here
In-memory cache, not a database with ACID guarantees.
- ✓
Amazon Aurora (MySQL-compatible)
Why this is correct
Aurora offers ACID transactions, high performance, and managed service.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.