This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
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?
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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import into Aurora.
Why it's wrong here
This approach requires significant downtime.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often 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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS DMS uses a replication instance to connect to the source PostgreSQL database, performing a full load via table-level parallelism and then capturing ongoing changes using PostgreSQL's logical replication slots (via the pgoutput plugin). The change data capture (CDC) phase streams WAL-level changes to the target Aurora instance, allowing the source to remain fully operational until the final cutover, where replication lag is drained and the application is switched.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: 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.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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