- A
Implement manual sharding across multiple Aurora clusters
Why wrong: Sharding requires application changes.
- B
Add more read replicas to offload read traffic
Why wrong: Read replicas do not help with write contention.
- C
Use a larger instance type with higher IOPS
Why wrong: Vertical scaling may improve throughput but does not reduce contention or deadlocks.
- D
Enable Aurora Multi-Master to allow multiple write nodes
Multi-Master allows concurrent writes, reducing contention.
Question 728 of 1,730
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 uses Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition for its e-commerce platform. During flash sales, the database experiences high write contention on the 'orders' table, causing slow inserts and deadlocks. The development team wants to reduce contention without changing the application code. Which database design strategy is MOST effective?
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
✓
Enable Aurora Multi-Master to allow multiple write nodes
Option D is correct because Aurora Multi-Master enables multiple writer nodes to accept write operations concurrently, which directly reduces write contention on the 'orders' table during high-volume flash sales. Unlike single-master Aurora, Multi-Master allows each writer to handle inserts independently, minimizing deadlocks and improving throughput without requiring application code changes.
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.
- ✗
Implement manual sharding across multiple Aurora clusters
Why it's wrong here
Sharding requires application changes.
- ✗
Add more read replicas to offload read traffic
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas do not help with write contention.
- ✗
Use a larger instance type with higher IOPS
Why it's wrong here
Vertical scaling may improve throughput but does not reduce contention or deadlocks.
- ✓
Enable Aurora Multi-Master to allow multiple write nodes
Why this is correct
Multi-Master allows concurrent writes, reducing contention.
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 often assume scaling up the instance type (Option C) or adding read replicas (Option B) will solve write contention, but they fail to recognize that only a multi-writer architecture directly addresses the bottleneck of a single writer node.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Aurora Multi-Master uses a distributed consensus protocol (based on Paxos) to coordinate writes across multiple writer nodes, allowing each node to commit transactions independently while maintaining consistency. Under the hood, each writer has its own write buffer and redo log, and conflicts are resolved at the storage layer using a quorum-based approach, which can still lead to deadlocks if multiple writers update the same row simultaneously, but for high-volume inserts on different rows, it significantly reduces contention.
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: Enable Aurora Multi-Master to allow multiple write nodes — Option D is correct because Aurora Multi-Master enables multiple writer nodes to accept write operations concurrently, which directly reduces write contention on the 'orders' table during high-volume flash sales. Unlike single-master Aurora, Multi-Master allows each writer to handle inserts independently, minimizing deadlocks and improving throughput without requiring application code changes.
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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