Suboptimal Storage Type for DynamoDB Table

Service Category

Database

Cloud Provider

AWS

Service Name

AWS DynamoDB

Inefficiency Type

Inefficient Configuration

Explanation

This inefficiency occurs when a table remains in the default Standard storage class despite having minimal or infrequent access. In these cases, switching to Standard-IA can significantly reduce monthly storage costs, especially for archival tables, compliance data, or legacy systems that are still retained but rarely queried.

Relevant Billing Model

DynamoDB tables are billed based on the storage class assigned to the entire table.

Standard: Higher monthly storage cost, no per-read penalty.
Standard-IA: Lower storage cost, with an added per-read charge.

Tables incur ongoing storage charges regardless of usage, so selecting the wrong storage class can lead to unnecessary cost.

Detection

Identify tables currently set to the Standard storage class
Review read access patterns over the past 30+ days to confirm low usage
Determine whether the table is used for active workloads or primarily exists for reference, compliance, or long-term retention
Assess whether the workload can tolerate a small per-read fee and slightly higher latency
Validate with data owners or service teams before changing the storage class

Remediation

If the table is rarely read and doesn't serve an active production workload, consider switching it to Standard-IA. Start by confirming that read latency and per-request charges won’t impact performance or budget. Then update the table’s storage class using the AWS Console, CLI, or SDK. This change can be made without downtime or data migration. To prevent recurrence, review provisioning defaults in infrastructure-as-code templates or automation scripts to ensure archival or infrequently accessed tables default to Standard-IA when appropriate. Periodically audit storage class assignments across environments to identify tables that may no longer require high-frequency access.

Relevant Documentation