DynamoDB Scan Access Denied: Missing dynamodb:Scan Action in IAM Policy
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
The above IAM policy is attached to an IAM role used by a Lambda function. The function tries to scan the table 'MyTable' but receives an AccessDenied error. What is the MOST likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy does not include the 'dynamodb:Scan' action.
Option D is correct because the IAM policy shown in the question does not include the 'dynamodb:Scan' action. Without this action explicitly allowed, the Lambda function's role lacks permission to perform a Scan operation on the DynamoDB table, resulting in an AccessDenied error. The policy must grant the specific action required by the API call.
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.
✗
The DynamoDB table does not exist.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: The error is AccessDenied, not ResourceNotFound.
✗
The IAM role is not attached to the Lambda function.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: If not attached, the error would be different.
✗
The resource ARN is incorrect.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: The ARN appears correct.
✓
The policy does not include the 'dynamodb:Scan' action.
Why this is correct
Correct: Scan is not allowed.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often focus on resource ARN or table existence, overlooking that the policy must explicitly include the specific DynamoDB action (e.g., 'dynamodb:Scan') being called by the Lambda function.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
IAM policies for DynamoDB require both the correct action (e.g., 'dynamodb:Scan') and the correct resource ARN (e.g., 'arn:aws:dynamodb:region:account-id:table/MyTable'). Under the hood, AWS evaluates the explicit deny, then allow, and if no allow matches the action, the request is denied by default. A common real-world scenario is granting 'dynamodb:GetItem' but forgetting 'dynamodb:Scan', which leads to AccessDenied when using the Scan API.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: The policy does not include the 'dynamodb:Scan' action. — Option D is correct because the IAM policy shown in the question does not include the 'dynamodb:Scan' action. Without this action explicitly allowed, the Lambda function's role lacks permission to perform a Scan operation on the DynamoDB table, resulting in an AccessDenied error. The policy must grant the specific action required by the API call.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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