DVA-C02 Troubleshooting and Optimization Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting and optimization. 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 and notices that read requests are frequently throttled. The table has provisioned read capacity of 100 read capacity units (RCUs) and is used by a web application that experiences bursty traffic. The developer wants to minimize throttling without manual intervention. Which action should the developer take?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
DAX provides an in-memory cache that absorbs read bursts, reducing the number of reads hitting the DynamoDB table and thus minimizing throttling.
B
Increase the write capacity
Why wrong: Write capacity units are separate from read capacity. Increasing write capacity does not affect read throttling.
C
Use a global table
Why wrong: Global tables provide multi-region replication for disaster recovery and low-latency reads in distant regions, but they do not directly alleviate read throttling in a single table.
D
Enable auto scaling for read capacity
Why wrong: Auto scaling adjusts capacity based on sustained load, but it may not react quickly enough to sudden bursts, leading to throttling before capacity increases.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
Enabling DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) reduces the number of read requests hitting the table by serving them from an in-memory cache. This offloads read traffic, effectively reducing the consumed RCUs and minimizing throttling during bursty traffic without requiring manual intervention or capacity changes.
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.
✓
Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
Why this is correct
DAX provides an in-memory cache that absorbs read bursts, reducing the number of reads hitting the DynamoDB table and thus minimizing throttling.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the write capacity
Why it's wrong here
Write capacity units are separate from read capacity. Increasing write capacity does not affect read throttling.
✗
Use a global table
Why it's wrong here
Global tables provide multi-region replication for disaster recovery and low-latency reads in distant regions, but they do not directly alleviate read throttling in a single table.
✗
Enable auto scaling for read capacity
Why it's wrong here
Auto scaling adjusts capacity based on sustained load, but it may not react quickly enough to sudden bursts, leading to throttling before capacity increases.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose auto scaling (Option D) thinking it handles bursts, but auto scaling has a lag time and cannot prevent throttling during sudden spikes, whereas DAX provides immediate relief by caching reads.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DAX acts as a write-through cache that sits between the application and DynamoDB, serving read requests from memory with microsecond latency. It is particularly effective for bursty read workloads because it absorbs traffic spikes without consuming RCUs, and it automatically handles cache invalidation and consistency. In real-world scenarios, DAX can reduce read costs by up to 90% while eliminating throttling for read-heavy applications.
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.
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.
Troubleshooting and Optimization — This question tests Troubleshooting and Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) — Enabling DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) reduces the number of read requests hitting the table by serving them from an in-memory cache. This offloads read traffic, effectively reducing the consumed RCUs and minimizing throttling during bursty traffic without requiring manual intervention or capacity changes.
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: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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