DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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 social media company runs a large Amazon DynamoDB table (Users) with 10 TB of data. The table uses on-demand capacity. Recently, the application started experiencing occasional ProvisionedThroughputExceeded exceptions during read-heavy periods. The table's read metrics show that consumed read capacity is consistently below 50% of provisioned capacity. The application uses eventually consistent reads. The table has a global secondary index (GSI) on the 'status' attribute. The GSI's read capacity consumption is often at 100% of its provisioned capacity. What is the most likely cause of the throttling?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The GSI is throttling because its read capacity is not set to on-demand, or the GSI's partition key is causing hot partitions.
The GSI has its own read capacity settings. If the GSI is throttled, reads on the base table that require the GSI may also be throttled. Option B is correct. Option A is unlikely because base table RCU is not maxed. Option C is incorrect because on-demand auto scaling does not apply to GSIs separately in the same way. Option D is incorrect because eventual consistency does not cause throttling.
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.
✗
The on-demand capacity mode is not suitable for this workload; switch to provisioned with auto scaling.
Why it's wrong here
On-demand is suitable; the issue is with the GSI.
✗
The base table's read capacity is insufficient despite on-demand mode.
Why it's wrong here
On-demand mode does not have provisioned capacity limits; it throttles only on partition limits.
✓
The GSI is throttling because its read capacity is not set to on-demand, or the GSI's partition key is causing hot partitions.
Why this is correct
GSI has its own capacity; if it throttles, base table reads that use the GSI may be throttled.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The application should use strongly consistent reads to reduce throttling.
Why it's wrong here
Strongly consistent reads consume more capacity, not less.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The GSI is throttling because its read capacity is not set to on-demand, or the GSI's partition key is causing hot partitions. — The GSI has its own read capacity settings. If the GSI is throttled, reads on the base table that require the GSI may also be throttled. Option B is correct. Option A is unlikely because base table RCU is not maxed. Option C is incorrect because on-demand auto scaling does not apply to GSIs separately in the same way. Option D is incorrect because eventual consistency does not cause throttling.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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