The answer is to increase the provisioned read capacity to 2000 RCU or implement DAX caching. This is correct because the high ReadThrottleEvents indicate that the application’s read demand is exceeding the provisioned 1000 RCU, even though write capacity is adequate and auto scaling is set to trigger at 70% utilization—meaning it will only add capacity after throttling has already begun. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that DynamoDB throttling is resource-specific: read throttling is solved by scaling reads, not writes, and that DAX is an in-memory cache designed specifically to offload read traffic from the table. A common trap is confusing auto scaling thresholds or misapplying storage types like GP2, which are irrelevant to DynamoDB. Memory tip: “Reads need RCU, writes need WCU—never mix the two.”
DBS-C01 Monitoring and Troubleshooting Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and troubleshooting. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 using Amazon DynamoDB with auto scaling for a social media application. The table has a partition key of 'user_id'. The application performs many small writes (update user profile) and reads (fetch user profile). Recently, the application's response time has increased. The DBA checks CloudWatch and sees that 'ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits' is close to 'ProvisionedWriteCapacityUnits', and 'WriteThrottleEvents' is low. However, 'ReadThrottleEvents' is high. The table has 1000 WCU and 1000 RCU provisioned. The auto scaling is configured to add capacity when utilization exceeds 70%. The DBA also notices that 'ReadThrottleEvents' spikes during peak hours. What should the DBA do to reduce read throttling?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the provisioned read capacity to 2000 RCU or implement DAX caching.
Option D is correct because increasing RCU or using DAX can reduce read throttling. Option A is wrong because auto scaling target should be 70%, not 90%. Option B is wrong because decreasing WCU doesn't help reads. Option C is wrong because GP2 is for RDS, not DynamoDB.
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.
✗
Decrease the provisioned write capacity to 500 WCU to free up resources.
Why it's wrong here
Write capacity does not affect read throttling.
✗
Increase the auto scaling target utilization to 90% to allow more headroom.
Why it's wrong here
Higher target utilization may cause more throttling.
✗
Change the storage type to General Purpose SSD (gp2) to improve I/O.
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB uses internal storage, not EBS volumes.
✓
Increase the provisioned read capacity to 2000 RCU or implement DAX caching.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting — This question tests Monitoring and Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the provisioned read capacity to 2000 RCU or implement DAX caching. — Option D is correct because increasing RCU or using DAX can reduce read throttling. Option A is wrong because auto scaling target should be 70%, not 90%. Option B is wrong because decreasing WCU doesn't help reads. Option C is wrong because GP2 is for RDS, not DynamoDB.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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