SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company has a serverless application using AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, and Amazon DynamoDB. The application experiences occasional timeouts during peak hours. After reviewing AWS X-Ray traces, the team finds that DynamoDB queries are slow. Which THREE actions should the team take to improve performance and continuously optimize the solution?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAP-C02 often tests whether candidates confuse Lambda cold-start mitigation with DynamoDB read latency, or pick ElastiCache over DAX when the workload is specifically DynamoDB read-heavy.
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
✓
Optimize DynamoDB queries by using global secondary indexes and reducing the number of separate queries.
Option A is correct because DynamoDB slowness is often caused by inefficient access patterns such as Scan operations or multiple sequential queries; using global secondary indexes (GSIs) allows efficient Query operations against alternate partition/sort keys, and consolidating separate queries reduces cumulative latency and consumed read capacity. Option B is correct because DynamoDB auto scaling adjusts provisioned read/write capacity automatically in response to traffic patterns, preventing throttling and ProvisionedThroughputExceededException during peak hours, which directly addresses the timeout symptom. Option E is correct because DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) is an in-memory write-through cache purpose-built for DynamoDB that delivers microsecond read latency for read-heavy workloads, offloading repeated reads from the table and reducing query response times. Option C is not the best fit because ElastiCache for Redis requires custom cache-invalidation logic and adds architectural complexity, whereas DAX is the native DynamoDB caching solution. Option D does not belong because Lambda cold starts affect function initialization latency, not DynamoDB query execution time identified in the X-Ray traces.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Optimize DynamoDB queries by using global secondary indexes and reducing the number of separate queries.
Why this is correct
Optimize DynamoDB queries by using global secondary indexes and reducing the number of separate queries. This reduces query latency and the number of round trips.
- ✓
Configure DynamoDB auto scaling to adjust read and write capacity based on demand.
Why this is correct
Configure DynamoDB auto scaling to adjust read and write capacity based on demand, ensuring sufficient throughput during peak hours without over-provisioning.
- ✗
Use Amazon ElastiCache for Redis to cache DynamoDB query results.
Why it's wrong here
Using Amazon ElastiCache for Redis is an external caching solution that adds operational complexity and is not directly optimized for DynamoDB integration; DAX is the recommended DynamoDB caching service.
- ✗
Implement Lambda function warmers to keep containers initialized and reduce cold starts.
Why it's wrong here
Implementing Lambda function warmers addresses cold starts but does not improve DynamoDB query performance.
- ✓
Enable Amazon DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) for read-heavy workloads.
Why this is correct
Enable Amazon DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) for read-heavy workloads to provide in-memory caching for DynamoDB, significantly reducing read latency.
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 |
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About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SAP-C02 question from scratch — 984 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAP-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 SAP-C02 exam.