DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is deploying a new application using Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. They require high availability with automatic failover and the ability to offload read traffic. Which TWO features should they enable? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse Multi-AZ with read replicas, thinking they serve the same purpose, or incorrectly assume that Global Database or Auto Scaling for read replicas are available for standard RDS PostgreSQL, when they are either Aurora-specific or not supported.
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
✓
Multi-AZ deployment
Multi-AZ deployment (Option A) provides high availability by automatically provisioning and maintaining a synchronous standby replica in a different Availability Zone. If the primary DB instance fails, Amazon RDS automatically fails over to the standby, ensuring minimal downtime. Read replicas (Option B) offload read traffic by creating asynchronous copies of the database that can serve read queries, reducing load on the primary instance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Multi-AZ deployment
Why this is correct
Multi-AZ provides automatic failover to a standby in another Availability Zone.
- ✓
Read replicas
Why this is correct
Read replicas are crucial for distributing database workload by offloading read traffic from the primary Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instance. These asynchronous copies allow read-heavy queries to be directed away from the primary, reducing its load and improving overall application performance and scalability. This mechanism directly satisfies the requirement to offload read traffic, ensuring the primary instance can focus on write operations.
- ✗
Performance Insights
Why it's wrong here
Performance Insights is a monitoring tool, not for high availability.
- ✗
Global Database
Why it's wrong here
Global Database is a feature of Amazon Aurora, not RDS PostgreSQL.
- ✗
Auto Scaling for read replicas
Why it's wrong here
RDS PostgreSQL does not support Auto Scaling for read replicas; it must be manually added.
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