DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A mobile gaming application uses Amazon DynamoDB to store player profiles and game state. The write throughput is high during events, but low otherwise. The company wants to minimize costs while maintaining performance. Which capacity mode should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
AWS often tests the misconception that Provisioned capacity with auto scaling is always the most cost-effective option, but for unpredictable, spiky workloads like gaming events, On-Demand avoids the fixed costs of minimum provisioned capacity and the risk of throttling during rapid traffic surges.
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
✓
On-Demand capacity mode
On-Demand capacity mode is ideal for this workload because it automatically scales to handle high write throughput during events and scales down to zero when idle, eliminating the need for capacity planning. This minimizes costs by charging only for actual reads and writes, without requiring any provisioning or management of throughput limits.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reserved capacity
Why it's wrong here
Reserved capacity requires committing to a specific throughput, not suitable for variable workloads.
- ✓
On-Demand capacity mode
Why this is correct
Automatically handles spikes and charges per request, minimizing cost during low traffic.
- ✗
Provisioned capacity without auto scaling
Why it's wrong here
Would under-provision during spikes or over-provision during low traffic.
- ✗
Provisioned capacity with auto scaling
Why it's wrong here
Works but may be less cost-effective if traffic is highly variable and unpredictable.
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JA
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.