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 shopping cart application. During a flash sale, write requests are throttled due to hot partitions. The access pattern is evenly distributed across items, but the partition key is the customer ID. Which design change would best mitigate throttling?
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.
Enable DynamoDB adaptive capacity.
Adaptive capacity rebalances throughput across partitions.
Change the partition key to a single value for all items.
Why wrong: Would create a single hot partition.
Increase the provisioned write capacity to a higher fixed value.
Why wrong: Table-level increase may not resolve partition-level hot spots.
Add a DAX cluster in front of DynamoDB.
Why wrong: DAX caches reads, not writes.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Enable DynamoDB adaptive capacity.
Option A is correct because DynamoDB adaptive capacity automatically adjusts throughput capacity based on traffic patterns, which helps mitigate hot partitions by redistributing unused capacity from less-accessed partitions to heavily accessed ones. This is ideal for the flash sale scenario where write requests are throttled due to uneven access across customer ID partitions, even though the overall access pattern is evenly distributed.
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.
Enable DynamoDB adaptive capacity.
Why this is correct
Adaptive capacity rebalances throughput across partitions.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Change the partition key to a single value for all items.
Why it's wrong here
Would create a single hot partition.
Increase the provisioned write capacity to a higher fixed value.
Why it's wrong here
Table-level increase may not resolve partition-level hot spots.
Add a DAX cluster in front of DynamoDB.
Why it's wrong here
DAX caches reads, not writes.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may think increasing provisioned capacity (Option C) is the straightforward fix for throttling, but they overlook that hot partitions require a design-level solution like adaptive capacity or partition key redesign to distribute writes evenly.
Detailed technical explanation
DynamoDB adaptive capacity works by monitoring partition-level traffic and automatically shifting unused throughput from underutilized partitions to those experiencing high demand, up to the table's total provisioned capacity. This is especially effective for bursty, uneven workloads like flash sales, where the partition key (customer ID) is well-distributed but temporary spikes cause localized throttling. Adaptive capacity is enabled by default for all DynamoDB tables, but it cannot compensate for a poorly designed partition key that inherently causes sustained hot partitions.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
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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: Enable DynamoDB adaptive capacity. — Option A is correct because DynamoDB adaptive capacity automatically adjusts throughput capacity based on traffic patterns, which helps mitigate hot partitions by redistributing unused capacity from less-accessed partitions to heavily accessed ones. This is ideal for the flash sale scenario where write requests are throttled due to uneven access across customer ID partitions, even though the overall access pattern is evenly distributed.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 24, 2026
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