- A
Amazon Neptune
Why wrong: Neptune is a graph database not designed for leaderboards.
- B
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Redis sorted sets provide efficient leaderboard operations.
- C
Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB is not optimized for real-time sorted queries with frequent updates.
- D
Amazon Aurora
Why wrong: Aurora is a relational database with higher latency for this use case.
Question 1,098 of 1,730
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 company is designing a database for a real-time leaderboard in a mobile game. The leaderboard updates thousands of times per second and must return the top 100 scores with minimal latency. Which AWS database service is most suitable for this workload?
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 ElastiCache for Redis
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis is the most suitable choice because Redis provides an in-memory data structure server with a Sorted Set data type (ZADD and ZRANGE commands) that natively supports real-time leaderboard operations. It can handle thousands of writes per second with sub-millisecond latency and efficiently retrieve the top 100 scores using ZREVRANGE with a time complexity of O(log(N)+M), where M is the number of returned elements.
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.
- ✗
Amazon Neptune
Why it's wrong here
Neptune is a graph database not designed for leaderboards.
- ✓
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why this is correct
Redis sorted sets provide efficient leaderboard operations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is not optimized for real-time sorted queries with frequent updates.
- ✗
Amazon Aurora
Why it's wrong here
Aurora is a relational database with higher latency for this use case.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose DynamoDB because of its fast key-value lookups, overlooking that leaderboard ranking requires sorted range queries across all items, which DynamoDB cannot perform efficiently without expensive full table scans or custom sharding logic.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Redis Sorted Sets use a skip list and a hash table internally, allowing O(log(N)) insertion and O(log(N)+M) range retrieval. The ZADD command updates a member's score atomically, and ZREVRANGE with the WITHSCORES option returns the top scores in descending order. In a real-world mobile game leaderboard, you can also use Redis Streams or Pub/Sub to broadcast updates to connected clients, further reducing end-to-end latency.
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 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
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: Amazon ElastiCache for Redis — Amazon ElastiCache for Redis is the most suitable choice because Redis provides an in-memory data structure server with a Sorted Set data type (ZADD and ZRANGE commands) that natively supports real-time leaderboard operations. It can handle thousands of writes per second with sub-millisecond latency and efficiently retrieve the top 100 scores using ZREVRANGE with a time complexity of O(log(N)+M), where M is the number of returned elements.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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