Exercise 3: Why Session Consistency Fills a Real Gap DynamoDB Doesn't — Possible Solution ==================================================================== DynamoDB offers only two real consistency options: Strong (every read reflects the latest write, for every reader, globally) or Eventual (no ordering guarantee at all, with a real, documented chance of returning stale data). There is no real middle option in DynamoDB's own model -- a team wanting read-your-own-writes reliability for one specific client is forced to choose Strong consistency, even though that guarantee is really only needed for that one client's own reads, not for every reader in the system. Cosmos DB's real Session consistency level, its own default, is specifically designed for exactly this real gap: it guarantees a single client always sees its own prior writes immediately (read-your-own-writes), without requiring the same full, real Strong guarantee to be paid for and applied to every other reader in the system globally. ANSWER: Session consistency fits this need better because it directly provides read-your-own-writes reliability for the specific client that needs it, without requiring the full real cost of Strong consistency to be applied everywhere -- a genuine middle ground DynamoDB's own two-option model (Strong or Eventual) simply doesn't offer, forcing a choice between paying for full global strong consistency or accepting Eventual's own real risk of returning stale data to a client reading its own recent write. WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER ------------------------------ This correctly identifies the specific real gap in DynamoDB's binary choice (no read-your-own-writes-only option) and explains exactly how Session consistency fills it, rather than simply asserting "Cosmos DB has more options" without connecting that richness to the concrete real need described in the scenario.