CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
An e-commerce company runs a MySQL database on-premises to support its transactional workload. The company plans to migrate this database to AWS to reduce operational overhead. The company requires a fully managed database solution that automatically replicates data across multiple Availability Zones to provide failover in the event of an Availability Zone failure. The company does not want to manage database patching, backup scheduling, or replication. Which AWS service should the company use to meet these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse Amazon DynamoDB's built-in Multi-AZ replication with the requirement for a MySQL relational database, or assume that a self-managed EC2 instance can meet the 'fully managed' requirement by using additional services like Auto Scaling.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deployment
Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deployment is the correct choice because it provides a fully managed MySQL database that automatically replicates data synchronously across multiple Availability Zones, enabling automatic failover in the event of an AZ failure. AWS handles patching, backup scheduling, and replication management, meeting the company's requirement to reduce operational overhead.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL key-value and document database, not a relational database. It does not natively support MySQL or provide automatic multi-AZ failover in the same way as RDS Multi-AZ. While DynamoDB offers high availability, it is not suited for migrating an existing MySQL transactional workload.
- ✓
Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deployment
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deployment is the correct choice. RDS provides a fully managed relational database service compatible with MySQL. Multi-AZ creates a synchronous standby replica in a different Availability Zone, ensuring automatic failover if the primary instance fails. RDS also automates patching, backups, and replication, meeting all stated requirements.
- ✗
Amazon EC2 with a self-managed MySQL installation
Why it's wrong here
Running MySQL on an EC2 instance is not a fully managed solution. The company would be responsible for database patching, backup scheduling, replication setup, and failover management. This increases operational overhead, contradicting the company's goal to reduce it.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs full control over the MySQL database configuration, including custom plugins, specific MySQL versions not supported by RDS, or requires direct access to the underlying operating system for performance tuning or security compliance.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Redshift is a fully managed petabyte-scale data warehouse service, optimized for analytical queries on large datasets. It is not designed for transactional workloads like an e-commerce application's MySQL database, nor does it provide automatic Multi-AZ failover for MySQL compatibility.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to migrate a large on-premises data warehouse to AWS for business intelligence and reporting, requiring a fully managed, petabyte-scale solution that automatically replicates data across AZs. Amazon Redshift with RA3 nodes and cross-AZ snapshots would be the correct choice.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CLF-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deploymentCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deployment is the correct choice. RDS provides a fully managed relational database service compatible with MySQL. Multi-AZ creates a synchronous standby replica in a different Availability Zone, ensuring automatic failover if the primary instance fails. RDS also automates patching, backups, and replication, meeting all stated requirements.
✗Amazon EC2 with a self-managed MySQL installationWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Amazon EC2 with a self-managed MySQL installation does not provide a fully managed database solution; the company would still need to manage patching, backup scheduling, and replication manually, which contradicts the requirement to reduce operational overhead.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs full control over the MySQL database configuration, including custom plugins, specific MySQL versions not supported by RDS, or requires direct access to the underlying operating system for performance tuning or security compliance.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that running MySQL on EC2 is a valid migration path to AWS, but they overlook that it is not fully managed and still requires significant administrative effort for patching, backups, and replication.
✗Amazon RedshiftWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Amazon Redshift is a data warehousing service optimized for analytical queries on large datasets, not for transactional workloads like MySQL. It does not support MySQL compatibility or Multi-AZ replication for failover as required.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to migrate a large on-premises data warehouse to AWS for business intelligence and reporting, requiring a fully managed, petabyte-scale solution that automatically replicates data across AZs. Amazon Redshift with RA3 nodes and cross-AZ snapshots would be the correct choice.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Redshift's managed nature and replication capabilities with those of a transactional database, or mistakenly think it supports MySQL workloads due to its SQL interface.
Analysis generated from the official CLF-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.