Question 439 of 1,663
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A startup needs a cost-effective database for a small application that handles both transactional and analytical workloads. They expect low traffic initially but want the database to automatically scale as the business grows. Which database solution is BEST suited?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'serverless' with 'NoSQL' (DynamoDB) or assume that any 'serverless' database (Redshift Serverless) can handle mixed workloads, but the key differentiator is the need for relational SQL support for both transactional and analytical queries, which only Aurora Serverless v2 provides among the options.
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
✓
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 is the best fit because it automatically scales compute and memory capacity in fine-grained increments (down to 1 ACU) based on actual workload demand, supporting both transactional (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) queries via the MySQL/PostgreSQL-compatible Aurora engine. It offers a pay-per-ACU model that is cost-effective for low-traffic startups while providing near-instant scaling to handle growth without manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2
Why this is correct
Automatically scales capacity and is cost-effective for variable workloads.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB with on-demand capacity
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is NoSQL, not suitable for complex analytical queries.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for MySQL with a Single-AZ deployment
Why it's wrong here
Does not automatically scale; requires manual scaling.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift Serverless
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is optimized for analytics, not transactional workloads.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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