The correct action is to enable Enhanced Monitoring and review OS-level metrics like CPU, memory, and I/O. This is because high write latency in Amazon DocumentDB often stems from resource contention on the primary instance, and OS-level metrics reveal whether the bottleneck is CPU saturation, memory pressure, or disk I/O limits—details that database-level logs alone cannot provide. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding that troubleshooting write latency requires isolating infrastructure-level constraints before considering query optimization or scaling. A common trap is to jump to profiling slow queries, but those logs capture query duration, not the underlying OS resource starvation that delays writes. Remember the memory tip: “OS first, queries second”—always check the operating system’s health before blaming the database engine.
DBS-C01 Monitoring and Troubleshooting Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and troubleshooting. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 uses Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility) for its application. The application is experiencing high write latency. The DB cluster has one primary instance and two replicas. Which action should be taken to identify the cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable Enhanced Monitoring and review OS-level metrics like CPU, memory, and I/O.
Option B is correct because enabling Enhanced Monitoring at the instance level provides OS-level metrics that can help identify resource bottlenecks causing high write latency. Option A is wrong because profiling queries in the slow query log may show slow queries but not necessarily latency at the OS level. Option C is wrong because creating additional replicas does not reduce write latency on the primary. Option D is wrong because switching to Amazon DynamoDB is a major architectural change, not a troubleshooting step.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Migrate the database to Amazon DynamoDB for better write performance.
Why it's wrong here
Migrating is a drastic change, not a troubleshooting step.
✗
Add more read replicas to distribute the load.
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas do not help with write latency on the primary.
✓
Enable Enhanced Monitoring and review OS-level metrics like CPU, memory, and I/O.
Why this is correct
Enhanced Monitoring provides granular OS metrics to pinpoint bottlenecks.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Enable slow query logging and analyze slow queries.
Why it's wrong here
Slow queries may contribute but not necessarily the root cause of high write latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. 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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DBS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting — This question tests Monitoring and Troubleshooting — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable Enhanced Monitoring and review OS-level metrics like CPU, memory, and I/O. — Option B is correct because enabling Enhanced Monitoring at the instance level provides OS-level metrics that can help identify resource bottlenecks causing high write latency. Option A is wrong because profiling queries in the slow query log may show slow queries but not necessarily latency at the OS level. Option C is wrong because creating additional replicas does not reduce write latency on the primary. Option D is wrong because switching to Amazon DynamoDB is a major architectural change, not a troubleshooting step.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DBS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is running an Amazon DocumentDB cluster. The application is experiencing high write latency. The cluster has a single instance. What should be done to identify the cause of the latency?
hard
A.Upgrade the instance to a larger size.
✓ B.Enable Performance Insights and review the top wait events.
C.Add a replica to distribute the write load.
D.Change the storage type to Provisioned IOPS.
Why B: Option A is correct because enabling Performance Insights helps identify slow queries. Option B is wrong because adding a replica does not diagnose latency. Option C is wrong because increasing instance size is a reactive step. Option D is wrong because changing storage type may not address latency.
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Question Discussion
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