DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company uses Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The data engineer needs to ensure that the database is automatically backed up and that backups are retained for 35 days. What is the simplest way to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may overcomplicate the solution by choosing AWS Backup (Option A) or manual scripting (Option C), not realizing that RDS native automated backups already provide the simplest, fully managed way to achieve the required retention period.
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
✓
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 35 days in the RDS instance configuration.
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL allows you to enable automated backups directly in the instance configuration. By setting the backup retention period to 35 days, RDS automatically performs daily snapshots and retains transaction logs for point-in-time recovery within that window. This is the simplest method because it requires no external services or custom scripting.
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 Backup to schedule daily backups with a 35-day retention.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Backup requires creating a backup plan, vault, and resource assignments, adding configuration beyond the native RDS setting. It is tempting because AWS Backup centrally manages cross-service retention policies, but for a single RDS instance the built-in automated backup retention period achieves 35 days with one setting.
- ✓
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 35 days in the RDS instance configuration.
Why this is correct
Configuring automated backups on the RDS instance with a 35-day retention period uses RDS's native backup mechanism, which takes daily snapshots and retains them for the specified window. This is the simplest approach, requiring no custom scripting or external tooling.
- ✗
Create a manual snapshot every day and delete them after 35 days using a script.
Why it's wrong here
Manual snapshots are engineer-triggered, not automatic, and a deletion script adds custom automation the scenario seeks to avoid. It is tempting because snapshots are restorable and scripts can enforce 35-day retention, but the requirement is automatic backup with retention configured natively, which the RDS backup retention setting provides.
- ✗
Enable automatic export of transaction logs to Amazon S3 and use S3 lifecycle policies.
Why it's wrong here
Exporting transaction logs to Amazon S3 builds a separate log archive, not a restorable automated database backup, and S3 lifecycle rules expire objects rather than manage RDS backup retention. It is tempting because S3 lifecycle policies elegantly enforce retention periods, but that mechanism applies to S3 objects, not RDS automated backups.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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