DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is migrating an on-premises PostgreSQL database to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The database is 2 TB and has a sustained write rate of 150 MB/s. The migration must have minimal downtime. Which AWS service or tool should be used for the initial data load and ongoing replication?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume pg_dump/pg_restore can be used with minimal downtime by running them on a replica, but they still require a consistent snapshot and cannot capture ongoing changes, making them unsuitable 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 Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) with full load and ongoing replication
AWS DMS is the correct choice because it supports both a full load of the existing 2 TB database and ongoing change data capture (CDC) to replicate transactions with minimal downtime. DMS can handle sustained write rates of 150 MB/s by using appropriate instance sizing and tuning, and it provides built-in mechanisms for resumable loads and validation, which are critical for a large-scale migration with minimal downtime.
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 Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) with full load and ongoing replication
Why this is correct
AWS DMS supports full load and ongoing replication with minimal downtime.
- ✗
Use pg_dump and pg_restore
Why it's wrong here
pg_dump/pg_restore cannot perform ongoing replication; downtime would be significant for 2 TB.
- ✗
Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (AWS SCT) to convert schema and AWS DMS for data migration
Why it's wrong here
AWS SCT is used for schema conversion, not data migration; the question states PostgreSQL to PostgreSQL, so schema conversion is not needed.
- ✗
Use AWS S3 Transfer Acceleration to upload data to Amazon S3, then restore to RDS
Why it's wrong here
S3 does not provide database replication; this method would not support ongoing changes.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.