I want to know whether I have to use a dynamodb "Scan" operation for getting a list of all hash key values in a dynamodb table or is there an another "less-expensive" approach to do that. I have tried with a "Query" operation, but it was unsuccessful in my case, since I have to define the table hash key to use this operation. I just want to get a list of all hash key values in the table.
2 Answers
2
votes
Yes, you need to use the scan method to access every item in the table. You can reduce the size of the data returned to you by setting the attributes_to_get attribute to only what you need(*) -- e.g. just the hash key value. Also, note that scan operations are eventually consistent, so if this database is actively growing, your result set may not include the most recent items added to the table.
(*) This will reduce the amount of bandwidth consumed and make the result less resource-intensive to process on the application side, but it will not reduce the amount of throughput that you are charged. Scan operation charges based on size of the entire item, not just attributes that get returned.
1
votes
Unfortunately to get a list of hash key values you have to perform a Scan operation. What is your use case? Typically, the application should keep track of hash key values since there needs to be an evenly distributed workload. As a result, a Scan operation for this purpose should not happen frequently.
Edit: note that if you filter out the result using attributes_to_get or projection expression, it will help make the results cleaner but it will not reduce the amount of throughput that you are charged. Scan operation charges based on size of the entire item, not just attributes that get returned.
