DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A financial services company needs a database to store transaction records with strong consistency and the ability to run complex analytical queries. The data volume is in the terabytes and is expected to grow. The company also needs point-in-time recovery. Which AWS database solution meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse OLTP databases like RDS or DynamoDB with OLAP solutions like Redshift, assuming that any database with point-in-time recovery and strong consistency can handle complex analytical queries at scale, but Redshift is the only option purpose-built for petabyte-scale analytics with columnar storage and MPP architecture.
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
✓
Amazon Redshift with automated snapshots
Amazon Redshift is correct because it is a fully managed, petabyte-scale data warehouse designed for complex analytical queries on large datasets, and it supports automated snapshots for point-in-time recovery within a configurable retention period. The service provides strong consistency for committed transactions and can handle terabytes of data with columnar storage and massively parallel processing, making it ideal for the financial services company's requirements.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon Redshift with automated snapshots
Why this is correct
Redshift is built for analytics and supports point-in-time recovery via snapshots.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for MySQL with read replicas
Why it's wrong here
RDS MySQL is not optimized for analytical queries on terabytes of data.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis with AOF persistence
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is not designed for complex analytical queries or large data volumes.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB with on-demand backup
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is not designed for complex analytical queries.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.