DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 gaming company uses Amazon DynamoDB with global tables across two regions. They notice increased write latency and throttling during peak hours. The access pattern is mostly writes to a small set of hot partitions. Which design change would best address this?
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement write sharding using a random suffix on the partition key
The correct answer is A because the issue is hot partitions caused by a small set of partition keys receiving the majority of writes. By implementing write sharding with a random suffix on the partition key, you distribute writes across multiple partitions, reducing throttling and write latency. This directly addresses the root cause of uneven access patterns, unlike the other options that either cache reads, adjust capacity mode, or scale capacity without solving the partition-level bottleneck.
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.
✓
Implement write sharding using a random suffix on the partition key
Why this is correct
Write sharding distributes writes evenly 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.
✗
Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
Why it's wrong here
DAX is a read cache, does not reduce write hot spots.
✗
Switch to DynamoDB on-demand capacity mode
Why it's wrong here
On-demand helps with unpredictable traffic but not hot keys.
✗
Increase write capacity using auto scaling
Why it's wrong here
Auto scaling adds capacity but hot partition still throttles.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse throughput scaling (options C and D) with partition-level distribution, failing to recognize that hot partitions require a key design change, not just capacity adjustments.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, DynamoDB partitions data based on the partition key's hash value, and each partition has a fixed throughput capacity (up to 3000 RCU or 1000 WCU for on-demand, or provisioned limits). Write sharding adds a random suffix (e.g., a number from 0 to N) to the partition key, spreading writes across N distinct partitions. This technique is especially effective for time-series or high-volume write workloads where a single key would otherwise become a bottleneck. In practice, you must also handle reads by querying all shards and merging results, which adds complexity but solves the hot partition problem.
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 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
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.
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: Implement write sharding using a random suffix on the partition key — The correct answer is A because the issue is hot partitions caused by a small set of partition keys receiving the majority of writes. By implementing write sharding with a random suffix on the partition key, you distribute writes across multiple partitions, reducing throttling and write latency. This directly addresses the root cause of uneven access patterns, unlike the other options that either cache reads, adjust capacity mode, or scale capacity without solving the partition-level bottleneck.
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: "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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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