This guide covers all official exam objectives for the AWS Certified Database Specialty certification, organized into teachable chapters that progress from fundamentals to advanced topics.
This guide works best as a loop: read a chapter, test yourself with practice questions, look up unfamiliar terms in the glossary, then move to the next chapter.
17 chapters covering every exam objective. Each chapter includes key concepts, exam tips, common traps, comparison tables, and a 5-question quiz at the end.
Start Chapter 1Free timed and untimed practice with instant feedback and full explanations. Pick 10–120 questions per session. Filter by domain to drill your weak areas.
Go to practice testEvery DBS-C01term defined and searchable. Use it when a chapter mentions a concept you haven't seen before or want a quick refresher on.
Browse glossaryExam blueprint, domain weights, passing score, duration, cost, and registration links. Start here if you're new to this certification.
View exam guideAWS Database Services Overview
Objective 1.1 · Understand the different database services offered by AWS and their appropriate use cases
Relational Database Design Principles on AWS
Objective 1.2 · Design relational database architectures and select appropriate services (RDS, Amazon Aurora, Amazon Redshift)
Non-Relational Database Design (DynamoDB, ElastiCache, DocumentDB)
Objective 1.3 · Design NoSQL database solutions and select appropriate services based on access patterns
Database High Availability and Disaster Recovery Design
Objective 1.4 · Design for high availability, fault tolerance, and disaster recovery for database workloads
Database Migration Planning and Assessment
Objective 4.1 · Plan and prepare database migrations to AWS using tools like AWS DMS and AWS Schema Conversion Tool
Executing Database Migrations to AWS
Objective 4.2 · Perform database migrations using AWS DMS, including homogeneous and heterogeneous migrations
Database Deployment Automation and Infrastructure as Code
Objective 4.3 · Automate database deployments using CloudFormation, AWS CLI, and SDKs
Database Access Control and Authentication
Objective 3.1 · Implement access control and authentication mechanisms for AWS databases (IAM, database authentication, Secrets Manager)
Database Encryption at Rest and in Transit
Objective 3.2 · Implement encryption for databases using KMS, ACM, and database-level encryption features
Database Network Security and VPC Configuration
Objective 3.3 · Secure database network access using VPCs, security groups, NACLs, and PrivateLink
Database Auditing, Logging, and Compliance
Objective 3.4 · Enable database auditing and logging (CloudTrail, database audit logs) and meet compliance requirements
Database Operations and Maintenance
Objective 2.1 · Perform routine database operations, backups, restores, patching, and maintenance tasks
Database Performance Monitoring and Metrics
Objective 5.1 · Monitor database performance using CloudWatch, Performance Insights, and RDS Enhanced Monitoring
Database Performance Tuning and Optimization
Objective 5.2 · Analyze and optimize database performance (query tuning, indexing, parameter groups, resource optimization)
Database Troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis
Objective 5.3 · Troubleshoot common database issues (connectivity, performance, replication, storage) and perform root cause analysis
Backup, Restore, and Point-in-Time Recovery Strategies
Objective 2.2 · Design and implement backup and restore strategies including automated backups, snapshots, and cross-region backups
Database Cost Management and Optimization
Objective 2.3 · Manage and optimize database costs (right-sizing, reserved instances, storage optimization)
Free DBS-C01 practice questions with full explanations. Test what you learn chapter by chapter.
DBS-C01 Practice Questions