Inspect DynamoDB PITR status instead of relying on ContinuousBackupsStatus

An ENABLED continuous-backup status does not itself show that point-in-time recovery has been enabled.

Source facts

AWS distinguishes ContinuousBackupsStatus from PointInTimeRecoveryStatus. ContinuousBackupsStatus is always ENABLED for a DynamoDB table, while PITR is disabled by default until enabled separately. PITR can use a recovery period between one and thirty-five days. Increasing that period does not immediately move the earliest recovery point backward because the longer history still needs to accumulate.

Source: AWS — Enable point-in-time recovery in DynamoDB.

Applicability

This concerns DynamoDB PITR configuration and reported recovery windows. It does not establish that an existing table has the required protection or that a restore has been exercised.

DSE recommendation

DSE recommends making the PITR-specific state and actual earliest and latest restorable times visible in the protection inventory. Compare the selected period with the data owner’s recovery needs. Treat a period increase as a future coverage change until the reported history catches up. Review a proposed reduction carefully, identifying any recovery dates that would become unavailable before applying it. Use the PITR-specific field in the protection acceptance checklist and retain the reported time range with it. Ask the data owner to approve the interval that is actually available today, and schedule a later check when an increased history period is expected to have accumulated.

Verification

Proposed verification: for an approved test table, inspect both status fields and the reported recovery range before and after enabling PITR. Confirm that monitoring distinguishes the two fields. After a period change, observe the actual range and perform a permitted restore within it rather than assuming the configured number of days already exists.

Official reference

AWS — Enable point-in-time recovery in DynamoDB. Reviewed October 20, 2026.