The answer is AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for continuous replication, AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) for schema conversion, and a source Oracle database configured for ongoing change capture. This combination is correct because a heterogeneous migration from Oracle to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL requires SCT to translate incompatible SQL dialects, stored procedures, and data types, while DMS handles the live data transfer with minimal downtime by continuously replicating changes from the source. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that SCT is mandatory for schema conversion in any cross-engine migration, and that DMS’s ongoing replication feature is the key to achieving near-zero downtime. A common trap is assuming DMS alone can handle schema conversion—it cannot, as DMS only moves data, not the database objects. Remember the memory tip: “SCT for the structure, DMS for the data, and CDC for the cutover.”
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 migrating a large Oracle database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The migration must have minimal downtime and preserve data consistency. Which THREE AWS services or features should be used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) for schema conversion
The AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) is required to convert the source Oracle database schema (including stored procedures, functions, and data types) to a format compatible with Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. Without SCT, the heterogeneous migration would fail due to incompatible SQL dialects and database objects.
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.
✗
Amazon RDS for Oracle as the target
Why it's wrong here
The target is Aurora PostgreSQL, not RDS for Oracle.
✗
AWS DataSync for initial load
Why it's wrong here
DataSync is not designed for database migration.
✓
AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) for schema conversion
Why this is correct
SCT converts Oracle schema to Aurora PostgreSQL compatible schema.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL as the target database
Why this is correct
Aurora PostgreSQL is the target database engine.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for continuous replication
Why this is correct
DMS supports ongoing replication from Oracle to Aurora PostgreSQL.
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 often confuse AWS DataSync (a file-transfer service) with database migration tools, or mistakenly think RDS for Oracle can serve as a migration target when the question explicitly specifies Aurora PostgreSQL.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS DMS uses change data capture (CDC) via Oracle LogMiner or binary logs to replicate ongoing transactions with minimal downtime, while SCT handles the heterogeneous schema conversion by mapping Oracle data types (e.g., NUMBER to PostgreSQL NUMERIC) and rewriting PL/SQL to PL/pgSQL. In a real-world scenario, SCT can also assess migration complexity and generate reports on unsupported features like Oracle-specific packages.
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
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) for schema conversion — The AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) is required to convert the source Oracle database schema (including stored procedures, functions, and data types) to a format compatible with Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. Without SCT, the heterogeneous migration would fail due to incompatible SQL dialects and database objects.
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.
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 migrating its on-premises Oracle database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The migration must have minimal downtime. The source database is 2 TB and runs on a single server. Which AWS service should be used for the migration?
medium
A.AWS DataSync
B.Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
✓ C.AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
D.AWS Snowball Edge
Why C: AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) is the correct choice because it supports homogeneous migrations from Oracle to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL with minimal downtime using ongoing replication (change data capture). DMS can handle a 2 TB source database by performing a full load followed by continuous replication of changes from the Oracle redo logs, allowing the target Aurora database to stay nearly in sync until cutover.
Variation 2. A company is migrating an on-premises PostgreSQL database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The database is 2 TB in size. The migration must have minimal downtime. Which approach should the data engineer use?
hard
A.Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) to convert the schema and then copy data using S3.
B.Create an Aurora read replica from the on-premises database using native replication.
✓ C.Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to minimize downtime.
D.Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import into Aurora.
Why C: AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture) is the correct approach because it allows a full load of the 2 TB database followed by continuous replication of changes from the on-premises PostgreSQL source to the Aurora PostgreSQL target, minimizing downtime to a short cutover window. This is the only option that supports near-zero downtime migration for large databases by capturing ongoing transactions.
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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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