- A
DynamoDB Auto Scaling
Why wrong: Auto scaling adjusts capacity, not latency.
- B
DynamoDB Global Tables
Why wrong: Global Tables are for replication, not caching.
- C
DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
DAX provides in-memory caching for low-latency reads.
- D
DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL)
Why wrong: TTL is for automatic data expiration.
Question 783 of 1,616
Improve DynamoDB Read Performance with DAX In-Memory Caching
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. 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 developer is using Amazon DynamoDB as the data store for a serverless application. The application experiences high read traffic, and the developer wants to reduce latency. The data is not frequently updated. Which DynamoDB feature should the developer use?
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
✓
DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) is a fully managed, in-memory cache that reduces read latency for DynamoDB tables from single-digit milliseconds to microseconds. Since the data is not frequently updated, DAX can serve repeated read requests from its cache without hitting the underlying table, making it ideal for high-read, low-write workloads.
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.
- ✗
DynamoDB Auto Scaling
Why it's wrong here
Auto scaling adjusts capacity, not latency.
- ✗
DynamoDB Global Tables
Why it's wrong here
Global Tables are for replication, not caching.
- ✓
DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
Why this is correct
DAX provides in-memory caching for low-latency reads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL)
Why it's wrong here
TTL is for automatic data expiration.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse DAX with Global Tables, thinking that replicating data across regions reduces latency, but the question specifies reducing latency within a single region, where DAX's in-memory caching is the correct solution.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DAX maintains a write-through cache that is strongly consistent for reads served from the cache, and it supports both eventually consistent and strongly consistent read requests. Under the hood, DAX uses a cluster of nodes with a primary node handling writes and replicas for read scaling, and it can reduce read costs by offloading repeated reads from the DynamoDB table's provisioned capacity. In real-world scenarios, DAX is especially effective for applications like gaming leaderboards or session stores where the same items are read frequently with minimal updates.
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 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. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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 DVA-C02 question test?
Development with AWS Services — This question tests Development with AWS Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) — DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) is a fully managed, in-memory cache that reduces read latency for DynamoDB tables from single-digit milliseconds to microseconds. Since the data is not frequently updated, DAX can serve repeated read requests from its cache without hitting the underlying table, making it ideal for high-read, low-write workloads.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on DVA-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A developer is using Amazon DynamoDB to store session data for a web application. The application experiences read-heavy traffic and the developer wants to reduce latency. Which feature should be used to improve read performance?
easy- A.DynamoDB Global Tables
- B.DynamoDB Streams
- ✓ C.DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
- D.DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL)
Why C: DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) is a fully managed, in-memory cache that delivers up to 10x read performance improvement by reducing response times from milliseconds to microseconds. For read-heavy workloads like session data, DAX offloads read traffic from the DynamoDB table, reducing latency and providing a seamless caching layer without application code changes.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This DVA-C02 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 DVA-C02 exam.
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