This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 an on-premises Oracle data warehouse to AWS. The warehouse contains 20 TB of data and supports complex SQL queries with joins and aggregations. The migration should minimize downtime and require minimal changes to existing SQL queries. Which database service is MOST appropriate?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Amazon RDS for Oracle
Why wrong: RDS is optimized for OLTP, not large-scale data warehousing.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB is NoSQL and not suitable for complex SQL queries.
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why wrong: ElastiCache is an in-memory cache, not a data warehouse.
Amazon Redshift
Redshift is purpose-built for data warehousing with complex query support.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon Redshift
Amazon Redshift is the most appropriate choice because it is a fully managed, petabyte-scale data warehouse service designed for complex SQL queries with joins and aggregations. It supports standard SQL with minimal changes to existing queries, and its columnar storage and massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture are optimized for analytical workloads. The 20 TB data size and requirement to minimize downtime align with Redshift's ability to perform online resizing and use features like RA3 nodes with managed storage for elastic scaling.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon RDS for Oracle
Why it's wrong here
RDS is optimized for OLTP, not large-scale data warehousing.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is NoSQL and not suitable for complex SQL queries.
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is an in-memory cache, not a data warehouse.
Amazon Redshift
Why this is correct
Redshift is purpose-built for data warehousing with complex query support.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may choose Amazon RDS for Oracle because they recognize Oracle as a familiar database, overlooking that RDS is optimized for OLTP, not for the analytical, large-scale data warehouse workload described in the question.
Detailed technical explanation
Redshift's MPP architecture distributes data across multiple compute nodes, allowing parallel execution of complex queries, while its columnar storage reduces I/O by reading only relevant columns. The use of zone maps and sort keys further accelerates aggregation and join performance by pruning unnecessary data scans. In a real-world migration, Redshift's ability to use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) and AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication minimizes downtime by syncing data incrementally before a final cutover.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon Redshift — Amazon Redshift is the most appropriate choice because it is a fully managed, petabyte-scale data warehouse service designed for complex SQL queries with joins and aggregations. It supports standard SQL with minimal changes to existing queries, and its columnar storage and massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture are optimized for analytical workloads. The 20 TB data size and requirement to minimize downtime align with Redshift's ability to perform online resizing and use features like RA3 nodes with managed storage for elastic scaling.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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