The answer is to create an Amazon RDS Read Replica and update the application to use it for read queries. This solution directly addresses the need to offload read traffic with RDS read replicas, distributing the sudden spike in read requests away from the primary Multi-AZ instance to improve read scalability with minimal application changes—only the connection strings for read operations need updating. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that Multi-AZ is strictly for high availability and failover, not for scaling reads, while vertical scaling (increasing instance class) is less cost-effective and still places all load on a single node. A common trap is confusing Multi-AZ with read scaling; remember that replicas handle reads, while standby handles failover. Memory tip: "Replicas for reads, standby for safety."
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 production Amazon RDS for MySQL Multi-AZ DB instance. The database experiences a sudden spike in read requests, causing performance degradation. The company needs to improve read scalability with minimal application changes. Which solution should the data engineer recommend?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an Amazon RDS Read Replica and update the application to use it for read queries.
Creating one or more Read Replicas distributes read traffic away from the primary DB instance, improving read scalability with minimal application changes (only need to update connection strings for read queries). Option A is wrong because Multi-AZ is for high availability, not read scaling. Option B is wrong because increasing instance class provides more resources but is a vertical scaling approach and may not be cost-effective. Option D is wrong because DynamoDB Accelerator is for DynamoDB, not RDS.
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.
✗
Implement DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) in front of the database.
Why it's wrong here
DAX is for DynamoDB, not RDS.
✗
Enable Multi-AZ on the existing DB instance.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ provides high availability, not read scaling.
✗
Increase the DB instance size to a larger instance class.
Why it's wrong here
Vertical scaling can help but does not scale reads horizontally and may be more expensive.
✓
Create an Amazon RDS Read Replica and update the application to use it for read queries.
Why this is correct
Read Replicas handle read traffic, offloading the primary instance and improving scalability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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 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: Create an Amazon RDS Read Replica and update the application to use it for read queries. — Creating one or more Read Replicas distributes read traffic away from the primary DB instance, improving read scalability with minimal application changes (only need to update connection strings for read queries). Option A is wrong because Multi-AZ is for high availability, not read scaling. Option B is wrong because increasing instance class provides more resources but is a vertical scaling approach and may not be cost-effective. Option D is wrong because DynamoDB Accelerator is for DynamoDB, not RDS.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is using Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment. The database experiences intermittent slowdowns during peak hours. The company's DevOps team suspects that the primary instance is overwhelmed. Which action should the team take to distribute the read load without changing the application code?
medium
A.Increase the instance size of the RDS instance.
✓ B.Create a read replica and modify the connection string to point to the replica for read queries.
C.Enable Multi-AZ on the existing instance.
D.Configure DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) in front of the RDS instance.
Why B: Creating a read replica and modifying the connection string to point to the replica for read queries (Option B) offloads read traffic from the primary RDS instance without requiring application code changes. This directly addresses the intermittent slowdowns during peak hours by distributing the read load, leveraging MySQL’s native replication to keep the replica synchronized. The key constraint is 'without changing the application code,' which is satisfied by simply updating the connection string in the application configuration.
Variation 2. A company is using Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment. The database size is 2 TB and the workload is read-heavy. To improve read performance, which option should be used?
medium
A.Use Amazon ElastiCache to cache database queries
B.Increase the instance size to 16xlarge
✓ C.Create Read Replicas in the same or different regions
D.Enable Multi-AZ on additional instances
Why C: Option C is correct because Read Replicas offload read traffic from the primary instance. Option A is wrong because Multi-AZ is for high availability, not read scaling. Option B is wrong because increasing instance size helps but is less efficient than adding replicas. Option D is wrong because ElastiCache is for caching, not directly for MySQL read scaling.
Variation 3. A company has an Amazon RDS for MySQL database that is experiencing performance issues due to a large number of read requests. The application is read-heavy and can tolerate eventually consistent reads. Which action will reduce the load on the primary database with the least operational overhead?
hard
✓ A.Create a read replica in the same region
B.Use Amazon ElastiCache for caching
C.Enable Multi-AZ deployment
D.Increase the instance size of the primary DB
Why A: Creating a read replica offloads read queries from the primary, reducing load. Multi-AZ is for high availability, not read scaling. Caching or increasing instance size may help but read replica is simplest for read-heavy workloads.
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This DEA-C01 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 DEA-C01 exam.
Question Discussion
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