DEA-C01 Data Ingestion and Transformation Practice Question
A data engineer is using AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) to migrate a large on-premises Oracle database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The migration must minimize downtime, so the engineer needs to capture ongoing changes while the initial full load runs. Which AWS DMS task configuration should the engineer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that a full load alone keeps the target current, when in fact changes made during and after the load require change data capture to be applied.
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
✓
Full load plus change data capture (CDC) in a single task.
To minimize downtime during a database migration, AWS DMS should run a task that performs a full load and then continues with change data capture. The full load seeds the target with existing rows, and CDC applies ongoing inserts, updates, and deletes from the source logs, keeping Aurora PostgreSQL synchronized until the cutover window, which can then be brief.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Full load only, followed by a separate full load task after cutover.
Why it's wrong here
A full load only task copies existing rows but does not capture changes made during the load, so any writes after the snapshot starts are lost. Running another full load after cutover would require downtime and could overwrite changes, which conflicts with the low-downtime requirement. Change capture is needed to meet the objective.
- ✗
Change data capture (CDC) only, without an initial full load.
Why it's wrong here
CDC-only tasks replicate ongoing changes from the source but do not copy existing table rows. If the target is empty, the migrated database would lack the historical data, producing an incomplete migration. For a full database migration, an initial full load must precede or accompany CDC to populate existing records.
- ✗
Full load plus CDC, but disable the target schema creation.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling target schema creation does not affect change capture and, if the target objects do not already exist, would cause the load to fail. The core requirement is combining full load with CDC to minimize downtime; schema creation settings are unrelated to the change-capture capability needed here.
- ✓
Full load plus change data capture (CDC) in a single task.
Why this is correct
A full load plus CDC task first copies existing rows and then continuously applies ongoing changes captured from the source transaction logs, keeping the target in sync until cutover. This minimizes downtime because the target is current at the moment of switchover, which is exactly what the low-downtime requirement demands.
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Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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