DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 migrating a 2 TB MySQL database from on-premises to Amazon RDS for MySQL. They need to minimize downtime and ensure data consistency. They plan to use AWS DMS. What is the first step they should take before starting the migration task?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable binary logging (binlog) on the source MySQL database.
AWS DMS requires binary logging (binlog) to be enabled on the source MySQL database to capture ongoing changes during the full-load and change data capture (CDC) phase. This ensures data consistency and minimizes downtime by allowing DMS to replicate incremental changes after the initial load. Without binlog, DMS cannot perform CDC, and the migration would be limited to a one-time snapshot, risking data loss or extended downtime.
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.
✗
Create a read replica of the source database to reduce load.
Why it's wrong here
A read replica is unnecessary; DMS can read from the source directly.
✓
Enable binary logging (binlog) on the source MySQL database.
Why this is correct
Binlog is required for CDC to capture ongoing changes.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Disable foreign key checks on the source database to speed up the load.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling foreign key checks can cause data inconsistency and is not recommended.
✗
Enable binary logging on the target RDS for MySQL instance.
Why it's wrong here
The target does not need binlog enabled for migration; it's for replication to another target.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the need for binary logging on the source versus the target, or assume that a read replica or disabling constraints is the first step, but DMS specifically requires binlog on the source for continuous replication.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS DMS uses the MySQL binlog to track row-level changes via the 'mysql-bin.*' files, specifically relying on ROW-based replication format for accurate CDC. If the source database has binary logging disabled or uses STATEMENT-based format, DMS will fail to start the CDC task. In real-world scenarios, enabling binlog may require a database restart (e.g., setting `log_bin=ON` and `binlog_format=ROW` in the MySQL configuration file), which must be planned to minimize downtime.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Deployment and Migration — This question tests Deployment and Migration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable binary logging (binlog) on the source MySQL database. — AWS DMS requires binary logging (binlog) to be enabled on the source MySQL database to capture ongoing changes during the full-load and change data capture (CDC) phase. This ensures data consistency and minimizes downtime by allowing DMS to replicate incremental changes after the initial load. Without binlog, DMS cannot perform CDC, and the migration would be limited to a one-time snapshot, risking data loss or extended downtime.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first", "minimum / minimize". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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