The answer is to use AWS DMS with full load and ongoing replication (CDC). This approach is correct because AWS DMS performs an initial full load of the 5 TB database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server, then continuously captures and applies incremental changes from the source using change data capture, keeping the target synchronized with minimal lag. This allows the migration to achieve a brief cutover window, as stored procedures and triggers are handled separately via AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) before the full load, while CDC ensures no transactions are lost during the final switch. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of heterogeneous migrations with zero-downtime requirements, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose a backup-and-restore method or a single full-load DMS job without CDC. Remember the key distinction: full load alone means downtime; full load plus CDC means minimal downtime. A helpful mnemonic is “DMS + CDC = Zero Downtime.”
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 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?
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).
Option C is correct because 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.
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.
✗
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.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that 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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS DMS CDC leverages the SQL Server transaction log to capture changes in near real-time, using log sequence numbers (LSNs) to track incremental changes without requiring a full re-scan of the source. For stored procedures and triggers, AWS SCT performs schema conversion before the DMS task starts, ensuring that all database objects are replicated correctly; however, DMS does not replicate DDL changes by default, so any schema modifications during CDC must be handled manually or via additional configuration. In a real-world scenario, the cutover window can be reduced to minutes by stopping application writes to the source, allowing DMS to apply the final CDC changes, then redirecting traffic to the RDS instance.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS DMS with full load and ongoing replication (CDC). — Option C is correct because 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.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is migrating an on-premises MySQL database to Amazon RDS for MySQL. The database has a large table with frequent inserts and updates. To minimize downtime during migration, which AWS service should be used?
medium
A.Amazon RDS read replica
B.AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT)
C.AWS Glue
✓ D.AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why D: AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) is the correct choice because it supports ongoing replication (change data capture, CDC) from an on-premises MySQL source to Amazon RDS for MySQL, allowing the source database to remain fully operational during the migration. This minimizes downtime by continuously applying inserts and updates from the source to the target until you perform the final cutover, which can be a brief pause of seconds to minutes.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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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.
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