- A
Export the data to Amazon Elasticsearch Service for querying.
Why wrong: This adds operational complexity and cost; a GSI is simpler and sufficient.
- B
Create a Local Secondary Index (LSI) on subscription tier and registration date.
Why wrong: LSI uses the same partition key as the base table, so it cannot query across all users.
- C
Enable DynamoDB Streams and process the stream to populate a separate table.
Why wrong: Streams are for capturing changes, not for creating queryable indexes.
- D
Create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date.
A GSI allows querying on different attributes with its own partition and sort keys.
Question 640 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 DynamoDB for a gaming application that stores player data. The application frequently accesses items by the player's user ID. However, the company also needs to query players by their subscription tier (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and registration date. Which design should the database specialist recommend for this access pattern?
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
✓
Create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date.
A Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date is the correct choice because it allows efficient querying on non-primary key attributes without affecting the base table's primary key structure. DynamoDB GSIs support eventually consistent reads and can be created on any table, enabling the required access pattern of querying players by subscription tier and registration date while maintaining the primary access pattern by user ID.
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.
- ✗
Export the data to Amazon Elasticsearch Service for querying.
Why it's wrong here
This adds operational complexity and cost; a GSI is simpler and sufficient.
- ✗
Create a Local Secondary Index (LSI) on subscription tier and registration date.
Why it's wrong here
LSI uses the same partition key as the base table, so it cannot query across all users.
- ✗
Enable DynamoDB Streams and process the stream to populate a separate table.
Why it's wrong here
Streams are for capturing changes, not for creating queryable indexes.
- ✓
Create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date.
Why this is correct
A GSI allows querying on different attributes with its own partition and sort keys.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The DBS-C01 exam often tests the distinction between LSI and GSI, where candidates mistakenly choose LSI because they think it's the only index that can include multiple attributes, but they forget that LSI shares the base table's partition key and cannot be added after table creation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A GSI in DynamoDB has its own partition key and sort key, allowing queries across all partitions of the base table. When you create a GSI on subscription tier (partition key) and registration date (sort key), you can efficiently query all players in a given tier sorted by registration date using the Query API, which is far more performant than a Scan operation. The GSI is maintained asynchronously by DynamoDB, so it provides eventually consistent reads by default, which is acceptable for this use case where near-real-time consistency is not critical.
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 — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Workload-Specific Database Design practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DBS-C01 questions
1,730 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DBS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DBS-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Workload-Specific Database Design practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Workload-Specific Database Design.
Deployment and Migration practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Deployment and Migration.
Management and Operations practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Management and Operations.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Monitoring and Troubleshooting.
Database Security practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Database Security.
DBS-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 fundamentals.
DBS-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 scenario.
DBS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DBS-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date. — A Global Secondary Index (GSI) on subscription tier and registration date is the correct choice because it allows efficient querying on non-primary key attributes without affecting the base table's primary key structure. DynamoDB GSIs support eventually consistent reads and can be created on any table, enabling the required access pattern of querying players by subscription tier and registration date while maintaining the primary access pattern by user ID.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More DBS-C01 practice questions
- A company is deploying a new application on Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The security policy requires that all data be enc…
- Match each AWS service to its primary purpose.
- A financial services company runs a production Amazon Aurora MySQL database cluster (1 writer, 2 readers) in us-east-1.…
- A company is designing a database for a global e-commerce platform that requires low-latency reads and writes from multi…
- A security auditor reviews the output of a DynamoDB table description command as shown in the exhibit. Which statement a…
- A company is migrating an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The database contains sensitive data tha…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.