DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. 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 500 GB on-premises PostgreSQL database to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The migration must have minimal downtime and support ongoing replication after the initial load. The network link has limited bandwidth, and the company wants to avoid costly data transfer fees. 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 ongoing replication (CDC) from the start.
AWS DMS with ongoing replication (CDC) enables a full load followed by continuous change data capture, which meets the requirements of minimal downtime and ongoing replication. DMS compresses data in transit and can throttle network usage, helping to manage limited bandwidth and avoid costly data transfer fees by using the existing network link efficiently.
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 DMS with ongoing replication (CDC) from the start.
Why this is correct
CDC captures changes continuously, minimizing downtime and supporting ongoing sync.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with a full load only, then cut over.
Why it's wrong here
Full load only does not capture changes made during migration, causing data loss.
✗
Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import into RDS.
Why it's wrong here
pg_dump/pg_restore requires downtime for consistency and does not support ongoing replication.
✗
Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer the database files, then load into RDS.
Why it's wrong here
Snowball is for large data transfers; 500 GB can be transferred over the network more easily.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume Snowball Edge is always the best choice for large databases to avoid bandwidth costs, but for 500 GB and the need for ongoing replication, DMS with CDC is more appropriate and cost-effective.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS DMS uses a replication instance to read the source PostgreSQL's WAL (Write-Ahead Log) for CDC, capturing changes as they occur without significant impact on the source. DMS can also use batch-optimized apply and parallel load to maximize throughput over low-bandwidth links, and it supports compression (gzip) and encryption (TLS) for data in transit. In real-world scenarios, DMS can handle sub-second replication lag even with limited bandwidth, provided the change rate is manageable.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication (CDC) from the start. — AWS DMS with ongoing replication (CDC) enables a full load followed by continuous change data capture, which meets the requirements of minimal downtime and ongoing replication. DMS compresses data in transit and can throttle network usage, helping to manage limited bandwidth and avoid costly data transfer fees by using the existing network link efficiently.
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.
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Question Discussion
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