DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A company uses Amazon DynamoDB with On-Demand capacity for a gaming application. During a new game launch, write traffic spikes 10x normal for 30 minutes. Some write requests receive ProvisionedThroughputExceeded exceptions. What is the MOST likely cause and solution?
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
✓
The partition key is not distributing writes evenly, causing a hot partition. Redesign the partition key for uniform access.
On-Demand capacity can handle spikes but has per-partition throughput limits. If a hot partition exists, writes to that partition may exceed its limit. Option A is correct because uneven partition keys cause throttling. Option B is incorrect because On-Demand does not have table-level limits. Option C is not the primary cause. Option D is incorrect as GSI writes also consume write capacity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The partition key is not distributing writes evenly, causing a hot partition. Redesign the partition key for uniform access.
Why this is correct
Hot partitions cause throttling even with On-Demand capacity.
- ✗
On-Demand capacity cannot handle sudden spikes. Switch to Provisioned capacity with auto scaling.
Why it's wrong here
On-Demand is designed for spiky traffic.
- ✗
DynamoDB Streams is enabled, causing additional write throttling. Disable streams.
Why it's wrong here
Streams do not cause write throttling.
- ✗
The table has a global secondary index with a different partition key that is unevenly accessed. Remove the GSI.
Why it's wrong here
GSI writes consume from the table's write capacity, but uneven access can also cause throttling, but the root cause is still the primary partition key.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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