DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is migrating a 1 TB SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. The migration window is 4 hours. The on-premises network bandwidth is 1 Gbps. The database is not actively used during the migration window. The team wants to minimize migration time and cost. Which migration strategy is most appropriate?
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
✓
Use AWS DMS with full load only.
AWS DMS with full load only (Option D) is the most appropriate strategy for this migration. With a 1 Gbps network, the theoretical transfer time for 1 TB is about 2.2 hours (1 TB = 8000 Gb, 8000 Gb / 1 Gbps = 8000 seconds ≈ 2.22 hours), well within the 4-hour window. AWS DMS performs a direct, efficient full-load migration without requiring intermediate storage or additional tools. Option A (BCP + DTS) is slower and more complex. Option B (Snowball) adds cost and logistics that are unnecessary given the network speed. Option C (native backup to S3 and restore) requires uploading the backup to S3 first, then restoring to RDS, which is typically slower than DMS's direct streaming approach.
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 SQL Server BCP utility to export data and then import using DTS.
Why it's wrong here
Using SQL Server BCP and DTS is too slow for a 1 TB database within a 4-hour migration window. This logical migration approach involves exporting data to files and then importing, which is inherently time-consuming for such a large dataset, making it unable to meet the strict time constraint. However, BCP is effective for bulk data transfer for smaller databases or specific tables, and DTS (or its successor SSIS) is suitable for complex data transformations and loading, particularly when data cleansing or manipulation is required during migration.
- ✗
Use AWS Snowball to transfer the database files.
Why it's wrong here
Snowball adds shipping delays and is not needed.
- ✗
Create a native backup, upload to S3, restore to RDS.
Why it's wrong here
Upload time ~2.5 hours, plus restore; may exceed 4 hours.
- ✓
Use AWS DMS with full load only.
Why this is correct
DMS can complete full load within 4 hours over 1 Gbps.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DBS-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 DBS-C01 exam.