DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A company is running a MySQL database on an EC2 instance and wants to migrate to Amazon RDS for MySQL with minimal downtime. The database is 500 GB in size and has a high write workload. Which migration approach is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose mysqldump (Option C) because it is a familiar tool, but they overlook the requirement for minimal downtime and the impact of a high write workload on the time needed to complete a consistent export.
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 (DMS) with ongoing replication.
AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture) is the most appropriate approach because it allows you to migrate the 500 GB database with minimal downtime. DMS performs a full load of the existing data and then continuously replicates ongoing changes from the source MySQL EC2 instance to the target Amazon RDS for MySQL, enabling a cutover with only a brief pause in writes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Export data to Amazon S3 and use AWS Glue to load into RDS.
Why it's wrong here
Not a direct migration path; Glue is for ETL.
- ✗
Copy the MySQL data directory to Amazon EBS and attach to RDS.
Why it's wrong here
Direct file copy not supported by RDS.
- ✗
Take a mysqldump from the source and import into RDS.
Why it's wrong here
mysqldump requires application downtime.
- ✓
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication.
Why this is correct
DMS supports live migration with minimal downtime.
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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.