Centralized vs distributed databases Which of the following is a core advantage a distributed database offers over a purely centralized database?

Introduction / Context:
Organizations distribute data to improve availability, locality, and scalability. While distribution introduces complexity (coordination, catalog management, distributed transactions), it enables incremental growth and better proximity to users and services. This question asks you to identify a true advantage rather than a myth.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Workloads can be geographically or functionally partitioned.
• Capacity needs grow over time.
• Network and coordination overhead exist but are manageable.

Concept / Approach:

Distributed databases support modular growth: you can add nodes, place fragments where needed, and replicate for read scaling or availability. Centralized systems can scale up, but distribution enables scale-out and locality benefits. Costs and complexity usually increase, so options promising blanket cost reduction or simplicity are suspect. Likewise, slower response is not an advantage, and concurrency control remains essential.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Design literature emphasizes scale-out and data locality as drivers for distribution (e.g., global applications, fault domains, and read replicas).

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Licensing and complexity seldom decrease.
• Slower response is clearly not beneficial.
• Correctness requires concurrency control regardless of topology.

Common Pitfalls:

• Over-replicating without considering write amplification and consistency.

Final Answer:

Modular growth (scale by adding sites with data placed near workloads).