DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is migrating a 100 GB SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. They need to minimize downtime and ensure that only the schema is converted. Which tool should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse AWS DMS (which handles data replication) with AWS SCT (which handles schema conversion), and assume DMS can perform schema-only migrations without realizing it always includes data transfer and potential downtime.
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
✓
AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT)
AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to convert database schemas (including stored procedures, functions, and data types) from one engine to another, such as SQL Server to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. Since the requirement is to minimize downtime and only convert the schema (not migrate data), SCT can perform an offline schema conversion without impacting the source database, whereas DMS is a continuous data replication tool that would incur downtime for schema changes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
DMS migrates data and schema together; it is not solely for schema conversion.
- ✓
AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT)
Why this is correct
SCT is designed to convert database schema from one engine to another.
- ✗
AWS DMS with schema conversion enabled
Why it's wrong here
DMS can perform schema conversion but is typically used for data migration; SCT is the dedicated tool.
- ✗
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
Why it's wrong here
SSMS is a management tool, not a schema conversion tool.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every DBS-C01 question from scratch — 1,663 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. 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.