- A
Amazon S3 with Range GET requests
Why wrong: S3 is not meant for real-time transactional updates.
- B
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis with sorted sets
Why wrong: Redis is in-memory and not designed for durable persistence as a primary database.
- C
Amazon DynamoDB with a global secondary index on score
DynamoDB GSI enables efficient querying of top scores and rank lookups.
- D
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL with ORDER BY and LIMIT
Why wrong: Relational databases struggle with high write throughput and large leaderboard queries.
Question 1,335 of 1,730
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 building a real-time leaderboard for a gaming application. The leaderboard must update scores within seconds and support queries for top players and individual ranks. Which database design is most appropriate?
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 DynamoDB with a global secondary index on score
Amazon DynamoDB with a global secondary index (GSI) on score is the most appropriate design because it supports real-time updates and low-latency queries for both top players (via query on the GSI with ScanIndexForward=false and Limit) and individual ranks (via efficient key lookups). DynamoDB's fully managed, serverless architecture ensures sub-second response times at any scale, which is critical for a gaming leaderboard that must update scores within seconds.
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 S3 with Range GET requests
Why it's wrong here
S3 is not meant for real-time transactional updates.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis with sorted sets
Why it's wrong here
Redis is in-memory and not designed for durable persistence as a primary database.
- ✓
Amazon DynamoDB with a global secondary index on score
Why this is correct
DynamoDB GSI enables efficient querying of top scores and rank lookups.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL with ORDER BY and LIMIT
Why it's wrong here
Relational databases struggle with high write throughput and large leaderboard queries.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is that candidates may gravitate toward Redis (Option B) because of its native sorted set support for leaderboards. However, the question does not specify a need for in-memory caching or temporary data; it requires a durable, scalable database that can handle real-time updates and queries at scale. DynamoDB with a GSI provides both low-latency queries and full persistence without additional configuration, making it the better choice for the primary leaderboard storage.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DynamoDB's GSI on score allows you to query items in sorted order by score using the Query API with ScanIndexForward=false to retrieve top players in descending order, and you can use a composite key (e.g., game_id as partition key and score as sort key) to efficiently support per-game leaderboards. Under the hood, DynamoDB automatically partitions data across multiple nodes, and the GSI is eventually consistent by default, but you can choose strongly consistent reads for the leaderboard if needed, though this may impact write throughput. In a real-world scenario, a gaming leaderboard with millions of players can use DynamoDB's adaptive capacity to handle hot partitions, ensuring consistent sub-second response times even during peak gaming events.
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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 DynamoDB with a global secondary index on score — Amazon DynamoDB with a global secondary index (GSI) on score is the most appropriate design because it supports real-time updates and low-latency queries for both top players (via query on the GSI with ScanIndexForward=false and Limit) and individual ranks (via efficient key lookups). DynamoDB's fully managed, serverless architecture ensures sub-second response times at any scale, which is critical for a gaming leaderboard that must update scores within seconds.
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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