- A
Migrate to Amazon Aurora with parallel query
Why wrong: Aurora is optimized for OLTP, not heavy analytical queries.
- B
Add an Amazon ElastiCache cluster to cache query results
Why wrong: Caching does not help for ad-hoc complex queries.
- C
Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) on the RDS instance
Why wrong: DAX is only for DynamoDB, not RDS.
- D
Use Amazon Redshift for the analytical workload
Redshift is a columnar data warehouse ideal for complex analytics.
Question 235 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 runs a MySQL-compatible database on Amazon RDS with a 3 TB dataset. They need to run complex analytical queries that involve joins and aggregations on millions of rows. The current RDS instance is a db.r5.8xlarge with 32 vCPUs and 256 GB RAM, but complex queries take over an hour. Which design change would most improve query performance for this workload?
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
✓
Use Amazon Redshift for the analytical workload
Option D is correct because Amazon Redshift is a fully managed, petabyte-scale data warehouse service optimized for complex analytical queries involving joins and aggregations on large datasets. Unlike RDS, which is designed for OLTP workloads, Redshift uses columnar storage, massively parallel processing (MPP), and automatic compression to dramatically reduce query times for analytical workloads. Migrating the analytical workload to Redshift offloads the heavy processing from the RDS instance, allowing it to continue serving transactional queries efficiently.
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.
- ✗
Migrate to Amazon Aurora with parallel query
Why it's wrong here
Aurora is optimized for OLTP, not heavy analytical queries.
- ✗
Add an Amazon ElastiCache cluster to cache query results
Why it's wrong here
Caching does not help for ad-hoc complex queries.
- ✗
Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) on the RDS instance
Why it's wrong here
DAX is only for DynamoDB, not RDS.
- ✓
Use Amazon Redshift for the analytical workload
Why this is correct
Redshift is a columnar data warehouse ideal for complex analytics.
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 that candidates may assume Amazon Aurora with parallel query is sufficient for analytical workloads, but the DBS-C01 exam tests the understanding that Aurora is still an OLTP engine and that Redshift is the correct service for complex, long-running analytical queries on large datasets.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon Redshift’s MPP architecture distributes data across multiple compute nodes, allowing parallel execution of queries across slices, which is critical for scanning and aggregating billions of rows. Its columnar storage format reads only the columns needed for a query, reducing I/O compared to row-based storage in RDS. Additionally, Redshift uses sort keys and distribution keys to optimize join performance, and its result caching can further speed up repeated queries.
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: Use Amazon Redshift for the analytical workload — Option D is correct because Amazon Redshift is a fully managed, petabyte-scale data warehouse service optimized for complex analytical queries involving joins and aggregations on large datasets. Unlike RDS, which is designed for OLTP workloads, Redshift uses columnar storage, massively parallel processing (MPP), and automatic compression to dramatically reduce query times for analytical workloads. Migrating the analytical workload to Redshift offloads the heavy processing from the RDS instance, allowing it to continue serving transactional queries efficiently.
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: Jul 4, 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.