The correct actions are enabling Multi-AZ deployment and creating a cross-region read replica with automated backups. Multi-AZ provides automatic failover to a standby in a different Availability Zone within minutes, directly meeting the RTO of under one hour by eliminating manual intervention. Meanwhile, a cross-region read replica with automated backups continuously replicates changes asynchronously to a secondary region, keeping the RPO below five minutes because the replica can be promoted quickly with minimal data loss. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of RDS disaster recovery trade-offs: Multi-AZ handles regional AZ failures, while cross-region replicas protect against full region outages. A common trap is confusing manual snapshots or single-AZ restores, which take far longer and miss the RPO window. Remember the memory tip: “Multi-AZ for minutes, cross-region for continuity”—the first ensures fast failover, the second ensures low data loss across regions.
DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. 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 designing a disaster recovery plan for an Amazon RDS for MySQL database. The database must have a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of less than 5 minutes and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of less than 1 hour. Which TWO actions should be taken? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deploy the database in a Multi-AZ configuration.
Option A is correct because Multi-AZ provides automatic failover within minutes, meeting the RTO. Option D is correct because a cross-region read replica with automatic backups allows replication with low RPO. Option B is wrong because manual snapshots have higher RPO. Option C is wrong because a single-AZ instance with backups takes longer to restore. Option E is wrong because AWS DMS is for migration, not DR.
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.
✗
Use a single-AZ instance with automated backups to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Single-AZ restores require provisioning a new instance, exceeding RTO.
✓
Deploy the database in a Multi-AZ configuration.
Why this is correct
Multi-AZ provides automatic failover to a standby in a different AZ, meeting RTO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create a cross-region read replica with automated backups enabled.
Why this is correct
A cross-region read replica can be promoted quickly, and automated backups ensure low RPO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Take daily manual snapshots and copy them to another region.
Why it's wrong here
Daily snapshots have an RPO of up to 24 hours, exceeding the 5-minute requirement.
✗
Use AWS DMS for continuous replication to a standby instance.
Why it's wrong here
DMS is not typically used for DR of RDS; read replicas are simpler.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy the database in a Multi-AZ configuration. — Option A is correct because Multi-AZ provides automatic failover within minutes, meeting the RTO. Option D is correct because a cross-region read replica with automatic backups allows replication with low RPO. Option B is wrong because manual snapshots have higher RPO. Option C is wrong because a single-AZ instance with backups takes longer to restore. Option E is wrong because AWS DMS is for migration, not DR.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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