- A
Amazon S3
Why wrong: S3 is object storage with higher latency for small objects and not ideal for frequent updates.
- B
Amazon ElastiCache for Memcached
Why wrong: ElastiCache is for temporary caching, not durable storage.
- C
Amazon RDS for MySQL
Why wrong: RDS is a relational database, overkill for simple config data.
- D
Amazon DynamoDB
DynamoDB offers low latency, high availability, and is suitable for small configuration data.
Question 591 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 company is designing a new microservices architecture on AWS. Each service needs to store and retrieve small amounts of configuration data (under 10 KB per item) with low latency. The data is accessed frequently and must be highly available across multiple Availability Zones. Which AWS service should be used?
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 DynamoDB
Amazon DynamoDB is the correct choice because it is a fully managed NoSQL key-value and document database that delivers single-digit millisecond latency at any scale, making it ideal for frequently accessed configuration data under 10 KB. It provides built-in high availability and durability by automatically replicating data across three Availability Zones in an AWS Region, meeting the requirement for multi-AZ resilience without manual setup.
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.
- ✗
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage with higher latency for small objects and not ideal for frequent updates.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache for Memcached
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is for temporary caching, not durable storage.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for MySQL
Why it's wrong here
RDS is a relational database, overkill for simple config data.
- ✓
Amazon DynamoDB
Why this is correct
DynamoDB offers low latency, high availability, and is suitable for small configuration data.
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 choose Amazon S3 for any 'storage' need without considering latency requirements, or they pick ElastiCache thinking it provides durable storage, when in fact DynamoDB is the only option that combines low latency, high availability across AZs, and native persistence for small configuration items.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DynamoDB achieves low latency through its distributed hash table architecture, where each item's partition key is hashed to determine the physical storage node, enabling direct access without index scans. The service automatically handles partition splitting and rebalancing as throughput increases, and its consistency model allows for either eventually consistent reads (typically under 10 ms) or strongly consistent reads (under 20 ms) via the DynamoDB API. In a real-world scenario, a microservice might store feature flags or service endpoints in DynamoDB, using the GetItem API with a primary key to retrieve configuration in under 10 ms, while S3 would require an HTTP GET request with higher overhead and no native key-value semantics.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
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Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon DynamoDB — Amazon DynamoDB is the correct choice because it is a fully managed NoSQL key-value and document database that delivers single-digit millisecond latency at any scale, making it ideal for frequently accessed configuration data under 10 KB. It provides built-in high availability and durability by automatically replicating data across three Availability Zones in an AWS Region, meeting the requirement for multi-AZ resilience without manual setup.
What should I do if I get this SAP-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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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