DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is migrating a 10 TB SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. They need to minimize the migration time and cost. Which approach should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume native backup-to-S3 (Option D) is the fastest because it's a familiar SQL Server tool, but they overlook that DMS's streaming and CDC capabilities minimize downtime and total migration time for large databases, especially when ongoing replication is needed.
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 a full load and ongoing replication
AWS DMS with a full load and ongoing replication is the most efficient approach for migrating a 10 TB SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server because it performs a one-time full load of the existing data and then continuously replicates ongoing changes, minimizing downtime. DMS handles schema conversion automatically for homogeneous migrations (SQL Server to SQL Server) and supports resumable tasks, which reduces the risk of restarting from scratch on failure. This approach balances speed and cost by using the network for data transfer without the overhead of physical media or manual restore steps.
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 AWS Snowball Edge to transfer backup files
Why it's wrong here
Adds shipping time and complexity.
- ✗
Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool to convert schema and then bulk insert
Why it's wrong here
SCT does not migrate data.
- ✓
Use AWS DMS with a full load and ongoing replication
Why this is correct
Efficient and supports minimal downtime.
- ✗
Use native SQL Server backup to S3 and restore to RDS
Why it's wrong here
Requires S3 storage and manual restore.
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