- A
Amazon Neptune
Neptune is purpose-built for graph queries.
- B
Amazon Redshift
Why wrong: Redshift is for data warehousing, not graph queries.
- C
Amazon Aurora Global Database
Aurora Global Database provides multi-region replication for relational data; can be used alongside Neptune.
- D
Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables
Why wrong: DynamoDB is not a graph database.
- E
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why wrong: ElastiCache is for caching, not graph storage.
Question 1,015 of 1,730
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 designing a database for a social media analytics platform that requires: 1) storing relationships between users, posts, and interests; 2) running complex graph queries like 'find all friends of friends who like topic X'; 3) high availability with multi-region replication. Which TWO AWS services should they consider? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
Amazon Neptune
Amazon Neptune is a fully managed graph database service optimized for storing and querying highly connected data, such as user, post, and interest relationships. It supports property graph and RDF models, enabling complex graph queries like 'find all friends of friends who like topic X' using Gremlin or SPARQL. This directly satisfies the requirement for graph query capabilities. Amazon Aurora Global Database provides multi-region replication with low-latency global read operations and automatic failover, meeting the high availability and multi-region replication requirement. Together, Neptune handles the graph query workload, while Aurora Global Database provides the global distribution and disaster recovery needed for the analytics platform.
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.
- ✓
Amazon Neptune
Why this is correct
Neptune is purpose-built for graph queries.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is for data warehousing, not graph queries.
- ✓
Amazon Aurora Global Database
Why this is correct
Aurora Global Database provides multi-region replication for relational data; can be used alongside Neptune.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB with Global Tables
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is not a graph database.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is for caching, not graph storage.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse DynamoDB Global Tables (which provides multi-region replication) with graph database capabilities, overlooking that DynamoDB lacks native graph query support for multi-hop traversals like 'friends of friends'.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Neptune uses a shared-storage architecture with up to 15 read replicas across three Availability Zones, and its multi-region replication is achieved via Neptune Global Database, which replicates data asynchronously with a typical lag of <1 second. Under the hood, Neptune stores graph data in a compressed, indexed format optimized for traversal operations, using the RDF/SPARQL or property graph/Gremlin models, and it automatically handles failover with a recovery time objective (RTO) of less than 30 seconds.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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: Amazon Neptune — Amazon Neptune is a fully managed graph database service optimized for storing and querying highly connected data, such as user, post, and interest relationships. It supports property graph and RDF models, enabling complex graph queries like 'find all friends of friends who like topic X' using Gremlin or SPARQL. This directly satisfies the requirement for graph query capabilities. Amazon Aurora Global Database provides multi-region replication with low-latency global read operations and automatic failover, meeting the high availability and multi-region replication requirement. Together, Neptune handles the graph query workload, while Aurora Global Database provides the global distribution and disaster recovery needed for the analytics platform.
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
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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