DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is migrating a 100 GB MySQL database to Amazon Aurora MySQL. The migration must have minimal downtime and the source database is currently in use. Which approach should the company take?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse creating an Aurora Replica (which is an Aurora-only feature) with the ability to replicate from an external MySQL database, or they assume a physical backup can be directly restored into Aurora without understanding the proprietary storage format differences.
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 ongoing replication from the source MySQL database to Aurora.
AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture, CDC) is the correct approach because it allows a live migration with minimal downtime. DMS performs a full load of the 100 GB database and then continuously replicates incremental changes from the source MySQL to the target Aurora MySQL until you cut over, keeping the source fully operational throughout the process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create an Aurora Replica from the on-premises MySQL database and promote it.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora Replicas cannot be created from on-premises databases.
- ✗
Export the database using mysqldump and import it into Aurora during a maintenance window.
Why it's wrong here
This requires downtime and is not minimal.
- ✗
Take a physical backup of the MySQL database, upload to S3, and restore to Aurora.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora does not support restoring from physical MySQL backups.
- ✓
Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication from the source MySQL database to Aurora.
Why this is correct
DMS supports ongoing replication to keep the target in sync with minimal downtime.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,663 original DBS-C01 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.