The answer is enabling automated backups with 1-day retention and Multi-AZ deployment. This combination works because automated backups capture transaction logs every 5 minutes, directly meeting the 5-minute recovery point objective (RPO) by allowing point-in-time recovery to any second within the retention window, while Multi-AZ provides a synchronous standby replica that can fail over automatically in about 60-120 seconds, satisfying the 15-minute recovery time objective (RTO). On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that RDS point-in-time recovery RTO and RPO are addressed by separate features: backups handle data loss (RPO) via frequent log dumps, and high availability handles downtime (RTO) via failover. A common trap is choosing manual snapshots, which can only achieve an RPO of hours, not minutes, or confusing Read Replicas (read scaling) with Multi-AZ (failover). Memory tip: “Logs for loss, standby for speed”—automated logs give you the 5-minute RPO, and Multi-AZ gives you the 15-minute RTO.
DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 running a critical Amazon RDS for MySQL database. They need to implement a backup strategy that allows point-in-time recovery (PITR) with a recovery time objective (RTO) of 15 minutes and a recovery point objective (RPO) of 5 minutes. Which solution meets these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable automated backups with 1-day retention and enable Multi-AZ deployment
Option A is correct because automated backups with 5-minute transaction logs meet RPO and a Multi-AZ failover meets RTO. Option B is wrong because manual snapshots cannot achieve 5-minute RPO. Option C is wrong because cross-Region replication adds latency. Option D is wrong because Read Replicas are not for failover.
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.
✓
Enable automated backups with 1-day retention and enable Multi-AZ deployment
Why this is correct
Automated backups provide transaction logs every 5 minutes; Multi-AZ failover is fast.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use cross-Region automated backups and promote the replica
Why it's wrong here
Cross-Region replication has higher latency.
✗
Take manual snapshots every 5 minutes and restore from the latest snapshot
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots take time and cannot be taken every 5 minutes.
✗
Enable a Read Replica and promote it during a disaster
Why it's wrong here
Read Replicas are not for failover and may have replication lag.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Data Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable automated backups with 1-day retention and enable Multi-AZ deployment — Option A is correct because automated backups with 5-minute transaction logs meet RPO and a Multi-AZ failover meets RTO. Option B is wrong because manual snapshots cannot achieve 5-minute RPO. Option C is wrong because cross-Region replication adds latency. Option D is wrong because Read Replicas are not for failover.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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