- A
Increase the RDS instance size to the largest available to improve performance.
Why wrong: Scaling up may help but is not the most efficient; the query still scans 500M rows.
- B
Migrate the reporting workload to Amazon Redshift by loading the transactions table into Redshift and running the report query there.
Redshift is optimized for analytical queries and can handle large aggregations efficiently with minimal operational overhead.
- C
Create a materialized view in MySQL that pre-aggregates the data and refreshes it nightly.
Why wrong: MySQL does not natively support materialized views; this requires manual implementation and adds operational overhead.
- D
Add a composite index on (account_id, transaction_date) to speed up the GROUP BY.
Why wrong: A composite index does not help a full table scan with aggregation; MySQL may still scan the entire table.
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 financial services company uses Amazon RDS for MySQL to store transaction data. The database has a single table 'transactions' with 500 million rows. The table has an auto-increment primary key and an index on 'transaction_date'. The company runs a monthly report that aggregates transactions by account_id and transaction_date. The report query uses a GROUP BY on account_id and transaction_date, and scans the entire table. The query takes over 2 hours to complete and often times out. The DBA suggests creating a materialized view. However, the company wants to minimize operational overhead. Which solution meets the requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Migrate the reporting workload to Amazon Redshift by loading the transactions table into Redshift and running the report query there.
Option B is correct because Amazon Redshift is purpose-built for large-scale analytical queries. By migrating the reporting workload to Redshift, the company offloads the heavy aggregation from the transactional RDS instance to a columnar storage engine that can scan and aggregate 500 million rows efficiently using massively parallel processing (MPP). This approach requires no changes to the existing RDS database and minimizes operational overhead compared to managing a materialized view or manual indexing.
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.
- ✗
Increase the RDS instance size to the largest available to improve performance.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling up may help but is not the most efficient; the query still scans 500M rows.
- ✓
Migrate the reporting workload to Amazon Redshift by loading the transactions table into Redshift and running the report query there.
Why this is correct
Redshift is optimized for analytical queries and can handle large aggregations efficiently with minimal operational overhead.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "least", "primary", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a materialized view in MySQL that pre-aggregates the data and refreshes it nightly.
Why it's wrong here
MySQL does not natively support materialized views; this requires manual implementation and adds operational overhead.
- ✗
Add a composite index on (account_id, transaction_date) to speed up the GROUP BY.
Why it's wrong here
A composite index does not help a full table scan with aggregation; MySQL may still scan the entire table.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a larger instance or a composite index can fix any performance issue, but the DBS-C01 exam tests the understanding that analytical workloads require a different engine (Redshift) and that operational overhead includes ongoing maintenance, not just initial setup.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon Redshift uses columnar compression and zone maps to skip irrelevant blocks during full-table scans, drastically reducing I/O. Its MPP architecture distributes the aggregation across multiple nodes, enabling linear scaling. In contrast, MySQL's InnoDB engine stores data row-by-row, so even with an index, a full-table scan for aggregation requires reading every row and performing single-threaded CPU work for the GROUP BY operation.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
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: Migrate the reporting workload to Amazon Redshift by loading the transactions table into Redshift and running the report query there. — Option B is correct because Amazon Redshift is purpose-built for large-scale analytical queries. By migrating the reporting workload to Redshift, the company offloads the heavy aggregation from the transactional RDS instance to a columnar storage engine that can scan and aggregate 500 million rows efficiently using massively parallel processing (MPP). This approach requires no changes to the existing RDS database and minimizes operational overhead compared to managing a materialized view or manual indexing.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least", "primary", "minimum / minimize". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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