Quick Answer
Amazon Aurora is the correct choice because it is a strong consistency relational database on AWS that meets the financial services company’s need for complex SQL queries, high durability, and sub-five-second query performance on a 10 TB dataset growing by 1 GB daily. Aurora achieves this by replicating six copies of your data across three Availability Zones and automatically repairing storage failures, ensuring strong read-after-write consistency without sacrificing performance. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between transactional relational databases and purpose-built engines—a common trap is choosing DynamoDB for its consistency model, but it lacks native complex SQL join support, while Redshift introduces latency for single-row operations. Remember the memory tip: “Aurora for ACID, Dynamo for key-value, Redshift for analytics.”
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 financial services company needs to store trade data with strong consistency, high durability, and the ability to run complex SQL queries on the data. The data volume is 10 TB and grows by 1 GB per day. Queries must return results in less than 5 seconds. Which database solution best meets these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB does not support complex SQL queries natively.
Amazon DocumentDB
Why wrong: DocumentDB is a document database, not optimized for complex joins.
Amazon Aurora
Aurora provides strong consistency, durability, and full SQL support.
Amazon Redshift
Why wrong: Redshift is for data warehousing, not transactional workloads.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon Aurora
Amazon Aurora is a MySQL/PostgreSQL-compatible relational database that provides strong consistency, high durability (6 copies across 3 AZs), and supports complex SQL queries. Option B (DynamoDB) is wrong because it does not natively support complex SQL queries (though PartiQL exists, it's not as powerful). Option C (Redshift) is wrong because it is optimized for data warehousing and may have higher latency for single-row operations. Option D (DocumentDB) is wrong because it is MongoDB-compatible and not as strong on complex SQL joins.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB does not support complex SQL queries natively.
Amazon DocumentDB
Why it's wrong here
DocumentDB is a document database, not optimized for complex joins.
Amazon Aurora
Why this is correct
Aurora provides strong consistency, durability, and full SQL support.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is for data warehousing, not transactional workloads.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DBS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Amazon Aurora — Amazon Aurora is a MySQL/PostgreSQL-compatible relational database that provides strong consistency, high durability (6 copies across 3 AZs), and supports complex SQL queries. Option B (DynamoDB) is wrong because it does not natively support complex SQL queries (though PartiQL exists, it's not as powerful). Option C (Redshift) is wrong because it is optimized for data warehousing and may have higher latency for single-row operations. Option D (DocumentDB) is wrong because it is MongoDB-compatible and not as strong on complex SQL joins.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DBS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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.
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