Quick Answer
The answer is DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL). This feature automatically expires session data by deleting items once a specified timestamp is reached, making it the ideal choice for enforcing a one-hour session expiration without any custom deletion logic. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of DynamoDB’s built-in lifecycle management versus less efficient alternatives like application-level scanning or using DynamoDB Streams for deletion. A common trap is confusing TTL with Streams, but remember: Streams capture changes, they do not trigger expiration. For session data, TTL is the correct, cost-effective, and serverless solution. Memory tip: TTL = “Time to Live” = “Time to Leave” the table automatically.
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 to store session data for a web application. The table has a partition key of 'SessionId'. The company wants to automatically expire sessions after 1 hour. Which feature should be used?
DynamoDB Global Tables
Why wrong: Global Tables replicate data, not expire.
AWS Lambda function that scans the table every hour and deletes old items.
Why wrong: Inefficient and costly.
DynamoDB Streams
Why wrong: Streams record changes, do not expire items.
DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL)
TTL automatically deletes expired items.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL)
Option B is correct because DynamoDB TTL automatically expires items after a specified timestamp. Option A is wrong because DynamoDB Streams captures changes but does not expire items. Option C is wrong because the application would need to scan and delete, which is inefficient. Option D is wrong because Global Tables are for multi-region replication, not expiration.
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.
DynamoDB Global Tables
Why it's wrong here
Global Tables replicate data, not expire.
AWS Lambda function that scans the table every hour and deletes old items.
Why it's wrong here
Inefficient and costly.
DynamoDB Streams
Why it's wrong here
Streams record changes, do not expire items.
DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL)
Why this is correct
TTL automatically deletes expired items.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. 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
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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: DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL) — Option B is correct because DynamoDB TTL automatically expires items after a specified timestamp. Option A is wrong because DynamoDB Streams captures changes but does not expire items. Option C is wrong because the application would need to scan and delete, which is inefficient. Option D is wrong because Global Tables are for multi-region replication, not expiration.
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
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 using Amazon DynamoDB to store session data for a web application. The session data expires after 24 hours. Which DynamoDB feature should the company use to automatically delete expired items?
easyWhy B: DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL) is the correct choice because it provides a cost-effective, fully managed mechanism to automatically delete expired items based on a timestamp attribute in the table. TTL works by comparing the current time to the epoch time value stored in the designated TTL attribute; when the value is in the past, DynamoDB marks the item for deletion, typically within 48 hours. This eliminates the need for custom code or additional AWS services, directly addressing the requirement to remove session data after 24 hours.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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