DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A company is migrating a 5 TB Microsoft SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. The database has many stored procedures and triggers. The migration must have minimal downtime. Which approach should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume native backup and restore (Option D) is the simplest method for minimal downtime, but they overlook that it requires a maintenance window and does not support ongoing replication, whereas DMS with CDC is specifically designed for near-zero downtime migrations.
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 full load and ongoing replication (CDC).
AWS DMS with full load and ongoing change data capture (CDC) enables continuous replication of changes from the source SQL Server to the target Amazon RDS for SQL Server, minimizing downtime to a brief cutover window. This approach handles the migration of stored procedures and triggers as part of the schema conversion via AWS SCT, while CDC captures ongoing transactions to keep the target synchronized until the final switch.
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 SCT to convert the database schema and then use DMS for data load.
Why it's wrong here
SCT is for schema conversion only; CDC still needed.
- ✗
Use the SQL Server Import/Export wizard to copy data.
Why it's wrong here
Manual process, not suitable for large databases with minimal downtime.
- ✓
Use AWS DMS with full load and ongoing replication (CDC).
Why this is correct
CDC captures changes during migration, minimizing downtime.
- ✗
Take a native backup, copy to Amazon S3, and restore to RDS during a maintenance window.
Why it's wrong here
Requires downtime for the backup and restore process.
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