The answer is Amazon Aurora Global Database, which is the correct choice because it delivers sub-10ms global reads by placing secondary clusters in other AWS Regions that replicate asynchronously from a primary cluster using dedicated storage-based replication. This storage-level replication avoids impacting primary cluster performance and typically achieves under one second of lag, making it ideal for a global e-commerce application requiring low-latency relational reads for inventory and product catalog data. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of global database architectures for latency-sensitive workloads, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose multi-Region read replicas or cross-Region snapshot restores—both of which lack the single-digit millisecond read performance and automatic replication of Aurora Global Database. Remember the memory tip: “Global Aurora, local reads—storage replication, not compute feeds.”
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 global e-commerce application that requires a relational database with sub-10ms read latency across multiple AWS Regions. The database will store inventory and product catalog data. Which database design should they choose?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Amazon Aurora Global Database with a primary cluster in one Region and secondary clusters in other Regions.
Amazon Aurora Global Database is designed for low-latency global reads, with typical replication lag of under 1 second and read latency in the single-digit milliseconds from secondary clusters. It uses a dedicated storage-based replication mechanism that does not impact the performance of the primary cluster, making it ideal for a global e-commerce application requiring sub-10ms reads across multiple AWS Regions.
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.
✗
Use Amazon DynamoDB Global Tables with eventual consistency.
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is NoSQL, not relational.
✗
Deploy Multi-AZ for Amazon RDS and use Route 53 latency-based routing.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ is for high availability in one Region.
✗
Set up Cross-Region Read Replicas for Amazon RDS MySQL.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-Region replicas may have higher replication lag and latency.
✓
Use Amazon Aurora Global Database with a primary cluster in one Region and secondary clusters in other Regions.
Why this is correct
Aurora Global Database offers low-latency global reads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Multi-AZ or Cross-Region Read Replicas with true global low-latency read scaling, not realizing that Aurora Global Database is the only option that provides dedicated secondary clusters with storage-based replication for sub-10ms reads across Regions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Aurora Global Database uses a dedicated storage layer that replicates data at the storage volume level, not at the database engine level, which allows secondary clusters to serve reads with minimal lag (often under 100ms) and without impacting write performance on the primary. The secondary clusters are fully readable and can be promoted to primary in less than 1 minute for disaster recovery, supporting RTO of minutes and RPO of seconds.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
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: Use Amazon Aurora Global Database with a primary cluster in one Region and secondary clusters in other Regions. — Amazon Aurora Global Database is designed for low-latency global reads, with typical replication lag of under 1 second and read latency in the single-digit milliseconds from secondary clusters. It uses a dedicated storage-based replication mechanism that does not impact the performance of the primary cluster, making it ideal for a global e-commerce application requiring sub-10ms reads across multiple AWS Regions.
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.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is designing a relational database for an e-commerce application that requires high availability and automated failover across AWS Regions. Which AWS database service should they use?
medium
A.Amazon DynamoDB Global Tables
B.Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deployment
✓ C.Amazon Aurora Global Database
D.Amazon Redshift with cross-Region snapshot copy
Why C: Amazon Aurora Global Database provides cross-Region replication and automated failover, meeting the high availability requirements. Option A (DynamoDB) is NoSQL, not relational. Option B (RDS Multi-AZ) is single-Region. Option D (Redshift) is a data warehouse, not for OLTP.
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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.
Question Discussion
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