DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A startup is building a multi-tenant SaaS application where each tenant's data must be isolated. The data model is relational with complex joins. Which database deployment model is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose logical isolation (Option D) thinking it is sufficient, but the exam emphasizes that strict data isolation for multi-tenant SaaS with complex relational joins requires physical database separation to prevent cross-tenant data leaks and ensure compliance.
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
✓
Provision a separate Amazon RDS instance for each tenant
A multi-tenant SaaS application requiring strict data isolation with complex relational joins demands separate databases per tenant. Amazon RDS provides full relational capabilities (ACID transactions, complex joins) and provisioning separate RDS instances ensures complete tenant isolation, preventing cross-tenant data leakage and allowing independent backup, scaling, and performance tuning for each tenant.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a single Amazon DynamoDB table with a tenant_id partition key
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is NoSQL and not ideal for complex relational joins.
- ✗
Use a single Amazon Redshift cluster with tenant_id distribution key
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is a data warehouse, not designed for transactional multi-tenant workloads.
- ✓
Provision a separate Amazon RDS instance for each tenant
Why this is correct
Separate instances ensure complete data isolation and independent scaling.
- ✗
Use a single Amazon RDS database with a tenant_id column on every table
Why it's wrong here
Single database does not provide full isolation and can have performance interference.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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