DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is migrating a 3 TB Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. They want to use Oracle Data Pump to export the data and then import it into RDS. What is the most efficient way to transfer the dump files to AWS?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume AWS Snowball is always the best choice for large data transfers, but for 3 TB with available network bandwidth, direct S3 upload is more efficient and avoids physical shipping delays.
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
✓
Upload the dump files to Amazon S3 and then import them into RDS for Oracle using Oracle Data Pump.
Uploading Oracle Data Pump dump files to Amazon S3 and then importing them into Amazon RDS for Oracle using the DBMS_DATAPUMP API is the most efficient method for transferring large dump files. This approach leverages S3 for scalable, durable storage and high-throughput transfer, avoiding network bottlenecks or physical shipping delays. The RDS for Oracle instance can directly access the S3 bucket via an IAM role, enabling a seamless import 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.
- ✗
Use AWS Snowball to physically ship the dump files to AWS.
Why it's wrong here
Snowball is for large data volumes (petabytes) and introduces shipping delays.
- ✗
Use AWS DMS to migrate the data directly from Oracle to RDS for Oracle.
Why it's wrong here
The question specifies using Data Pump, not DMS.
- ✓
Upload the dump files to Amazon S3 and then import them into RDS for Oracle using Oracle Data Pump.
Why this is correct
S3 provides scalable storage and fast upload; RDS can read from S3 for import.
- ✗
Transfer the dump files over a VPN connection to an EC2 instance and then copy to RDS.
Why it's wrong here
VPN may have limited bandwidth; copying via EC2 adds unnecessary steps.
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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