dynamoDB GSI

Question 1

What are the characteristics of a Global Secondary Index (GSI) in DynamoDB?

Answer 1

• A GSI can be set up any time
• a DynamoDB table can have up to 20 GSIs.
• It acts as a secondary table with a different partition key and sort key from the base table.
• Only projected attributes are available in a GSI
• writes are made to the base table, then asynchronously replicated to the GSI.

Question 2

What is the difference between a GSI and the base table in DynamoDB?

Answer 2

A GSI acts as a secondary table with its own partition key and sort key, and only projected attributes are available in a GSI.

Question 3

How are writes handled in a Global Secondary Index (GSI)?

Answer 3

Writes are not made directly to the GSI; all writes are made to the base table and then asynchronously replicated to the GSI.

Question 4

What consistency model do Global Secondary Indexes (GSIs) support?

Answer 4

GSIs only support the eventual consistency model.

Question 5

What is the recommended provisioned write capacity for a GSI to avoid throttling?

Answer 5

To avoid potential throttling, provision equal to or double the write capacity for the GSI compared to the base table’s provisioned write capacity.