- A
Add an Aurora Replica to distribute read traffic and reduce load on the writer
Why wrong: Incorrect. Aurora Replicas only offload read traffic; they do not improve write performance because the writer instance still handles all writes.
- B
Increase the provisioned IOPS to 10000
Correct. Increasing provisioned IOPS directly addresses I/O bottlenecks during write-heavy periods, thereby improving write throughput.
- C
Change StorageType to gp2 and increase AllocatedStorage to 200 GB
Why wrong: Incorrect. Changing storage type to gp2 (general purpose) may reduce performance compared to io1, and increasing storage alone does not improve write performance if IOPS is the bottleneck.
- D
Set StorageEncrypted to false to reduce encryption overhead
Why wrong: Incorrect. Disabling storage encryption might reduce overhead slightly, but it is not a recommended practice and would not provide as significant a performance improvement as increasing IOPS. Moreover, security compliance often requires encryption.
DBS-C01 Provisioned IOPS Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: provisioned IOPS. 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 investigating a performance issue with an Amazon Aurora MySQL database. The output of the describe-db-instances command is shown. The application experiences intermittent slowdowns during write-heavy periods. Which change would MOST likely improve write performance?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
Increase the provisioned IOPS to 10000
Increasing provisioned IOPS directly improves write throughput by reducing I/O latency. In this scenario, write-heavy periods cause intermittent slowdowns, which are often due to hitting the IOPS limit of the current instance configuration. Option A is incorrect because Aurora Replicas only offload reads and have no effect on write performance. The writer instance still handles all writes regardless of replicas.
Key principle: Provisioned IOPS
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add an Aurora Replica to distribute read traffic and reduce load on the writer
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Aurora Replicas only offload read traffic; they do not improve write performance because the writer instance still handles all writes.
- ✓
Increase the provisioned IOPS to 10000
Why this is correct
Correct. Increasing provisioned IOPS directly addresses I/O bottlenecks during write-heavy periods, thereby improving write throughput.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Provisioned IOPS
- ✗
Change StorageType to gp2 and increase AllocatedStorage to 200 GB
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Changing storage type to gp2 (general purpose) may reduce performance compared to io1, and increasing storage alone does not improve write performance if IOPS is the bottleneck.
- ✗
Set StorageEncrypted to false to reduce encryption overhead
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Disabling storage encryption might reduce overhead slightly, but it is not a recommended practice and would not provide as significant a performance improvement as increasing IOPS. Moreover, security compliance often requires encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is that candidates may assume adding Aurora Replicas helps write performance by reducing load, but replicas only serve reads. Write performance is not improved by offloading reads; it requires addressing I/O capacity directly.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Aurora's storage subsystem is decoupled from compute, and write I/O is handled by a six-replica quorum-based system across three Availability Zones. Write performance is primarily limited by the writer instance's compute capacity (vCPUs and memory) and the volume of write operations (e.g., redo log throughput). Intermittent slowdowns during write-heavy periods often indicate that the writer instance is hitting CPU saturation or experiencing lock contention, not that read traffic is overwhelming the writer.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Provisioned IOPS
- Aurora Replicas
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
Provisioned IOPS
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.
Review provisioned IOPS, then practise related DBS-C01 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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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 — Provisioned IOPS.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the provisioned IOPS to 10000 — Increasing provisioned IOPS directly improves write throughput by reducing I/O latency. In this scenario, write-heavy periods cause intermittent slowdowns, which are often due to hitting the IOPS limit of the current instance configuration. Option A is incorrect because Aurora Replicas only offload reads and have no effect on write performance. The writer instance still handles all writes regardless of replicas.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Review provisioned IOPS, then practise related DBS-C01 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Provisioned IOPS
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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