DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company is migrating an on-premises PostgreSQL database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The database is 2 TB in size. The migration must have minimal downtime. Which approach should the data engineer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse native PostgreSQL replication (e.g., streaming replication) with AWS-managed replication, assuming an Aurora read replica can be created from any PostgreSQL source, but Aurora read replicas are only supported within the Aurora cluster itself.
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
✓
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to minimize downtime.
AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture) is the correct approach because it allows a full load of the 2 TB database followed by continuous replication of changes from the on-premises PostgreSQL source to the Aurora PostgreSQL target, minimizing downtime to a short cutover window. This is the only option that supports near-zero downtime migration for large databases by capturing ongoing transactions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) to convert the schema and then copy data using S3.
Why it's wrong here
SCT converts schema but does not handle ongoing replication.
- ✗
Create an Aurora read replica from the on-premises database using native replication.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora read replicas only work within Aurora, not from external databases.
- ✓
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to minimize downtime.
Why this is correct
DMS supports full load + CDC for minimal downtime.
- ✗
Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import into Aurora.
Why it's wrong here
This approach requires significant downtime.
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