This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. 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 uses Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment. The primary instance fails, and automatic failover occurs. After failover, the data engineer notices that the new primary instance has a different DNS endpoint. Which TWO statements are true about this scenario? (Choose TWO.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The DNS CNAME record is updated to point to the new primary.
Option C is correct because when Amazon RDS performs automatic failover in a Multi-AZ deployment, it updates the DNS CNAME record for the primary DB instance to point to the new primary (formerly the standby). This ensures that applications using the original endpoint are transparently redirected to the new primary without manual intervention.
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.
✗
The standby instance is created in the same Availability Zone as the failed primary.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ uses a different AZ.
✗
A manual DNS update is required to connect to the new primary.
Why it's wrong here
Failover is automatic.
✓
The DNS CNAME record is updated to point to the new primary.
Why this is correct
RDS updates the CNAME automatically.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The endpoint changes to the standby instance's endpoint.
Why it's wrong here
The CNAME remains the same.
✓
The applications can continue using the same database endpoint.
Why this is correct
The CNAME remains unchanged.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think the endpoint changes to the standby's endpoint (Option D) or that a manual DNS update is needed (Option B), when in fact the original endpoint remains the same and RDS handles the DNS update automatically via CNAME.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, RDS Multi-AZ uses synchronous replication to the standby instance in a different AZ. During failover, the standby is promoted to primary, and the DNS CNAME for the original endpoint is updated within seconds (typically 60–120 seconds). The TTL for the DNS record is set to a low value (e.g., 5 seconds) to minimize propagation delay, ensuring applications reconnect quickly without code changes.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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: The DNS CNAME record is updated to point to the new primary. — Option C is correct because when Amazon RDS performs automatic failover in a Multi-AZ deployment, it updates the DNS CNAME record for the primary DB instance to point to the new primary (formerly the standby). This ensures that applications using the original endpoint are transparently redirected to the new primary without manual intervention.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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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