DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company is migrating an on-premises SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. They need to minimize downtime and have a limited network bandwidth of 50 Mbps. The database size is 1 TB. What is the MOST effective approach?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume DMS with CDC alone can handle the full migration, underestimating the time required for the initial load over limited bandwidth, and overlook the offline seeding option provided by Snowball Edge.
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 Snowball Edge to transfer initial load, then DMS for CDC.
The 1 TB database size combined with a 50 Mbps network bandwidth would require over 46 hours for the initial load, making a full network transfer impractical. AWS Snowball Edge allows you to transfer the initial 1 TB seed data offline via a physical appliance, bypassing bandwidth constraints. After the seed is loaded into RDS, AWS DMS with Change Data Capture (CDC) can then replicate ongoing changes over the network, minimizing downtime to only the final cutover 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.
- ✗
Use AWS DMS with CDC over the network.
Why it's wrong here
Initial load of 1 TB at 50 Mbps would take days, exceeding downtime window.
- ✗
Use AWS SCT to compress data before transfer.
Why it's wrong here
SCT does not compress data.
- ✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer initial load, then DMS for CDC.
Why this is correct
Snowball accelerates initial transfer, CDC handles changes.
- ✗
Use native SQL Server backup and restore to Amazon S3.
Why it's wrong here
Backup over network also slow.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every DBS-C01 question from scratch — 1,663 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.