Question 136 of 1,663
DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is migrating a 5 TB Microsoft SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. The migration must have minimal downtime. The source database is hosted on an EC2 instance. Which combination of steps should be taken?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume AWS DMS is always the best choice for minimal downtime migrations, but for large SQL Server databases, native backup and restore to RDS is simpler, faster, and more reliable, especially when the source is on EC2 and the target is RDS.
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
✓
Take a native backup of the source, upload to S3, and restore to RDS
Native backup and restore to Amazon RDS for SQL Server is the fastest and most reliable method for migrating a large database like 5 TB with minimal downtime. By taking a full backup, uploading it to Amazon S3, and restoring it to RDS, you avoid the overhead of ongoing replication setup and can schedule the final cutover during a brief maintenance window. This approach leverages RDS's native support for restoring from S3, ensuring data integrity and minimizing the migration window.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Take a native backup of the source, upload to S3, and restore to RDS
Why this is correct
Native backup/restore is efficient for large databases and supports minimal downtime.
- ✗
Use AWS DMS with full load and ongoing replication
Why it's wrong here
DMS can achieve minimal downtime but initial load may be slower than backup/restore.
- ✗
Create an RDS read replica from the EC2-hosted database
Why it's wrong here
RDS read replicas cannot be created from EC2 instances.
- ✗
Use the SQL Server Import and Export Wizard
Why it's wrong here
The wizard is not suitable for large databases and requires downtime.
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 |
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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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