DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

Consider the following CloudFormation template snippet:

Resources:
  MyDynamoDBTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: "UserSessions"
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: "user_id"
          AttributeType: "S"
        - AttributeName: "session_id"
          AttributeType: "S"
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: "user_id"
          KeyType: "HASH"
        - AttributeName: "session_id"
          KeyType: "RANGE"
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 5
        WriteCapacityUnits: 5
      TimeToLiveSpecification:
        AttributeName: "expire_time"
        Enabled: true

What is the purpose of the 'TimeToLiveSpecification' in this template?

⚠ Common exam trap

Many candidates confuse TTL with a feature that actively manages or updates timestamps, when in reality TTL is a passive, background deletion mechanism that only reads the existing attribute value and never modifies it.

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

✓

It enables DynamoDB to automatically delete items after the specified timestamp

The 'TimeToLiveSpecification' in an AWS DynamoDB CloudFormation template enables DynamoDB's Time to Live (TTL) feature, which automatically deletes items when the current time exceeds the epoch timestamp value stored in the specified attribute (e.g., 'expire_time'). This is a cost-effective way to manage data retention without requiring custom delete logic or additional write capacity.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✓
It enables DynamoDB to automatically delete items after the specified timestamp
Why this is correct
TTL deletes items when the timestamp is reached.
✗
It enforces that the 'expire_time' attribute must be unique
Why it's wrong here
TTL does not enforce uniqueness.
✗
It automatically updates the 'expire_time' attribute when an item is read
Why it's wrong here
TTL does not update attributes.
✗
It creates a backup of items that have expired
Why it's wrong here
TTL deletes items; backups must be configured separately.

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DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

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