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Management and Operations →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question

This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. 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 has an Amazon DynamoDB table that stores IoT sensor data. The table has a partition key of device_id and a sort key of timestamp. The team wants to efficiently retrieve the latest reading for each device. Which query pattern should be used?

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

✓

Query with ScanIndexForward=false and Limit=1

Option D is correct because setting ScanIndexForward=false on a Query returns items in descending sort-key order. By querying with the device_id as the partition key and limiting results to 1, you retrieve the most recent timestamp for that device efficiently without scanning the entire table.

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.

  • ✗

    Scan with FilterExpression to get the latest timestamp for each device

    Why it's wrong here

    Scanning is inefficient for large tables and does not guarantee the latest item per device without additional processing.

  • ✗

    Query with ScanIndexForward=true and Limit=1

    Why it's wrong here

    This returns the oldest item, not the latest.

  • ✗

    GetItem with the device_id and timestamp values

    Why it's wrong here

    GetItem requires the exact sort key value, which is not known when retrieving the latest reading.

  • ✓

    Query with ScanIndexForward=false and Limit=1

    Why this is correct

    This retrieves the most recent item for a given partition key by ordering the sort key in descending order and limiting to one result.

    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 confusing ScanIndexForward=true with false, leading candidates to pick Option B, which retrieves the oldest rather than the latest record.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

DynamoDB's Query operation with ScanIndexForward=false leverages the local secondary index or table's sort key to traverse items in reverse chronological order. The Limit parameter stops reading as soon as one item is found, making this pattern cost-effective (1 read capacity unit per query for items under 4 KB). In real-world IoT scenarios, this pattern is often combined with a global secondary index to support multiple device queries efficiently.

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?

Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Query with ScanIndexForward=false and Limit=1 — Option D is correct because setting ScanIndexForward=false on a Query returns items in descending sort-key order. By querying with the device_id as the partition key and limiting results to 1, you retrieve the most recent timestamp for that device efficiently without scanning the entire table.

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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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.