Provisioned IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) is directly related to the throughput capacity of a provisioned database and is the primary consideration when consistent and predictable performance is needed. The size or capacity of the database instance (memory, CPU) is important but secondary to IOPS for throughput planning. Data transfer costs are related to the amount of data moved in and out of the database and do not directly affect the provisioned throughput capacity. The geographic distribution of users can impact latency and data sovereignty, but does not inherently dictate the provisioned IOPS requirements.