The correct choice is to create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date. This design is optimal because a GSI allows you to define an alternate partition and sort key on non-primary key attributes, enabling efficient querying for the multiple access patterns required—specifically, filtering and sorting players by their subscription tier and registration date—without altering the base table’s primary key structure built around user ID. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of when to use GSIs versus Local Secondary Indexes (LSIs) or table scans; a common trap is selecting an LSI, which cannot use a different partition key and would force a scan across all user IDs. Remember the memory tip: GSIs give you a fresh partition key for new access patterns, while LSIs only re-sort within the same partition—so for queries across different subscription tiers, always reach for a GSI.
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
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 uses Amazon DynamoDB for a gaming application that stores player data. The application frequently accesses items by the player's user ID. However, the company also needs to query players by their subscription tier (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and registration date. Which design should the database specialist recommend for this access pattern?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date.
A Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date is the correct choice because it allows efficient querying on non-primary key attributes without affecting the base table's primary key structure. DynamoDB GSIs support eventually consistent reads and can be created on any table, enabling the required access pattern of querying players by subscription tier and registration date while maintaining the primary access pattern by user ID.
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.
✗
Export the data to Amazon Elasticsearch Service for querying.
Why it's wrong here
This adds operational complexity and cost; a GSI is simpler and sufficient.
✗
Create a Local Secondary Index (LSI) on subscription tier and registration date.
Why it's wrong here
LSI uses the same partition key as the base table, so it cannot query across all users.
✗
Enable DynamoDB Streams and process the stream to populate a separate table.
Why it's wrong here
Streams are for capturing changes, not for creating queryable indexes.
✓
Create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date.
Why this is correct
A GSI allows querying on different attributes with its own partition and sort keys.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between LSI and GSI, where candidates mistakenly choose LSI because they think it's the only index that can include multiple attributes, but they forget that LSI shares the base table's partition key and cannot be added after table creation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A GSI in DynamoDB has its own partition key and sort key, allowing queries across all partitions of the base table. When you create a GSI on subscription tier (partition key) and registration date (sort key), you can efficiently query all players in a given tier sorted by registration date using the Query API, which is far more performant than a Scan operation. The GSI is maintained asynchronously by DynamoDB, so it provides eventually consistent reads by default, which is acceptable for this use case where near-real-time consistency is not critical.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date. — A Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date is the correct choice because it allows efficient querying on non-primary key attributes without affecting the base table's primary key structure. DynamoDB GSIs support eventually consistent reads and can be created on any table, enabling the required access pattern of querying players by subscription tier and registration date while maintaining the primary access pattern by user ID.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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