Implementing DAX on an Existing DynamoDB Solution

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Implementing DAX on an Existing DynamoDB Solution

In this lab, we are presented with a site that is struggling under load because the backing DynamoDB table has had its Read and Write provisioning drastically reduced to avoid incurring significant cost. To correct this, we will provision a DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) cluster and modify the Lambda functions in the site architecture to implement caching to return the site to a functional state.

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Lab Info

Level

Intermediate

Last updated

Sep 22, 2025

Duration

30m

Challenge

Launch a DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) Cluster
1. Navigate to DynamoDB.
2. Click Dashboard in the left-hand menu.
3. Click Create cluster.
4. Set the following values:
  
  Cluster name: tatourneycache
  
  Node type: dax.t2.small
  
  Cluster size: 1
  
  IAM Service role for DynamoDB access: Create new
  
  IAM role name: DAXtoDynamoDB
  
  IAM policy name: DAXtoDynamoDBPolicy
  
  IAM role policy: Read/Write
  
  Target DynamoDB table: TaTourneyStats
  
  Subnet group: Create new
  
  Name: tatourney
  
  VPC: Select the provided VPC
  
  Subnets: Check both subnets listed
  
  Security group: default (not the cfst- one)
5. Click Launch cluster.
Challenge

Modify `getTaStats` Lambda Function
1. Navigate to the Lambda service.
2. Select the function with getTaStats in the name.
3. Modify the function to utilize the DAX client in place of the Boto3 DynamoDB client.
Note: If you're not comfortable editing code, a modified version of this function is available at the GitHub link on the lab page.
Challenge

Modify `taStreamProcessor` Lambda Function
1. Navigate to the Lambda service.
2. Select the function with taStreamProcessor in the name.
3. Modify the function to replace the Boto3 DynamoDB client with the DAX client.
Note: If you're not comfortable editing code, a modified version of this function is available at the GitHub link on the lab page.

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