DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company uses Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL to store customer data. The data engineer needs to ensure that the database can be restored to any point in time within the last 35 days. The engineer also wants to minimize the impact on the production database during backups. What should the engineer do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that Multi-AZ or read replicas automatically provide point-in-time recovery, when only automated backups enable PITR within the 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 and set the backup retention period to 35 days.
Amazon RDS automated backups provide point-in-time recovery to any second within the retention period, which can be set up to 35 days. They are managed by RDS, require no manual intervention, and have minimal performance impact. Manual snapshots, Multi-AZ, and read replicas do not offer the same continuous PITR capability.
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 and set the backup retention period to 35 days.
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS automated backups enable point-in-time recovery to any second within the retention period, up to 35 days. They are taken during a daily backup window and continuously archive transaction logs to S3, with minimal impact on the production database. Setting the retention period to 35 days directly meets the requirement.
- ✗
Create a manual snapshot every day and retain them for 35 days.
Why it's wrong here
Manual snapshots are user-initiated and do not provide point-in-time recovery; they only allow restoration to the exact time the snapshot was taken. They also require manual management and do not capture transaction logs. This approach does not meet the requirement for point-in-time recovery to any point within 35 days.
- ✗
Enable Multi-AZ deployment and rely on the standby replica for backups.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ deployment provides high availability by maintaining a synchronous standby replica, but it does not enable point-in-time recovery or automate backups. Backups are still taken from the primary instance. Multi-AZ alone does not satisfy the requirement for point-in-time recovery within 35 days.
- ✗
Configure a read replica and take snapshots from the read replica.
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas are used for offloading read traffic and can be promoted, but they do not provide automated backups or point-in-time recovery for the primary database. Snapshots taken from a read replica are manual and do not capture transaction logs for PITR. This approach is not suitable for the stated requirement.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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