Key points

• Neptune stores connected data and executes graph traversals over relationships.
• Model it for relationship-centric questions rather than reproducing complex joins in a relational schema.

Best-known use cases

• Model fraud, identity, or recommendation data as connected relationships.
• Run graph traversals that would require complex relational joins.

What candidates often confuse it with

• Neptune is the graph database option; DocumentDB handles documents and RDS or Aurora handles relational transactions.

Key takeaway

Choose Neptune when graph relationships and traversal are the primary access pattern.

Relevant exam tasks

• D2.1 — Task 2.1: Choose a data store
• 2.1.1 — Implement the appropriate storage services for specific cost and performance requirements (for example, Amazon Redshift, Amazon EMR, AWS Lake Formation, Amazon RDS, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Kinesis Data Streams, Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka [Amazon MSK]).
• 2.1.2 — Configure the appropriate storage services for specific access patterns and requirements (for example, Amazon Redshift, Amazon EMR, Lake Formation, Amazon RDS, DynamoDB).

Learn more

• DEA-C01 in-scope services
• DEA-C01 Domain 2: Data Store Management