Create and Query a DynamoDB Table

Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database service that delivers single-digit millisecond performance at any scale. Unlike traditional relational databases that organize data in rows and columns with rigid schemas, DynamoDB uses a flexible key-value and document data model that adapts to your application's access patterns. It automatically handles capacity provisioning, data replication across multiple Availability Zones, and on-demand scaling — making it a foundational service for serverless architectures, gaming leaderboards, IoT telemetry, e-commerce carts, and virtually any workload that demands consistent, low-latency reads and writes.

Every DynamoDB table is built around a primary key that uniquely identifies each item. A partition key distributes data across storage nodes, while an optional sort key enables range-based queries within a partition. Understanding how to design these keys — and when to use Query versus Scan operations — is the single most important skill for working effectively with DynamoDB. In this lab, you will create a DynamoDB table with a composite primary key, populate it with sample data, run targeted queries using partition and sort keys, compare Query and Scan operations to see the performance difference firsthand, and add a Global Secondary Index to enable queries on an alternate attribute.

Objectives

Upon completion of this Beginner level lab, you will be able to:

• Create a DynamoDB table with a composite primary key (partition key and sort key)
• Add and manage items in a DynamoDB table using the AWS Console
• Query a table using partition key and sort key conditions
• Compare Query and Scan operations and understand their performance implications
• Create a Global Secondary Index (GSI) to enable queries on non-key attributes

Who is this lab for?

This lab is designed for:

• Cloud beginners who want to learn AWS's core NoSQL database service
• Developers and solutions architects preparing for AWS certification exams that cover DynamoDB fundamentals