DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
Which TWO AWS services can be used to implement a serverless database architecture for variable workloads?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse Amazon RDS Proxy (a connection management service) with a serverless database, or assume Amazon Redshift can function as a serverless transactional database, when in fact it is a data warehouse requiring cluster provisioning.
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 Aurora Serverless v2
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 is correct because it automatically scales database capacity up or down based on application demand, providing a serverless architecture for variable workloads without the need to manage database instances. Amazon DynamoDB is correct because it is a fully managed NoSQL serverless database that automatically scales throughput and storage to handle variable workloads, requiring no server provisioning or management.
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 Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is not serverless; it requires provisioning.
- ✓
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2
Why this is correct
Aurora Serverless automatically scales capacity.
- ✗
Amazon RDS Proxy
Why it's wrong here
RDS Proxy is not a database; it's a proxy service.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is not serverless.
- ✓
Amazon DynamoDB
Why this is correct
DynamoDB is a serverless NoSQL database.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.