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DBS-C01 Major version upgrade Practice Question

A company is running an Amazon RDS for SQL Server DB instance. The database administrator needs to perform a major version upgrade. What is the recommended approach to minimize downtime?

⚠ Common exam trap

Candidates may assume that Read Replicas can be used for major version upgrades on all RDS engines, but SQL Server does not support cross-version Read Replicas.

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) to migrate the database to a new instance with the new version.

For Amazon RDS for SQL Server, creating a Read Replica with a different major version is not supported. Therefore, the recommended approach to minimize downtime is to use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to migrate the database to a new instance with the new version. DMS allows for minimal downtime by continuously replicating data and then switching over. Options C and D cause significant downtime during the snapshot/restore or direct upgrade process.

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 (DMS) to migrate the database to a new instance with the new version.

    Why this is correct

    Correct. AWS DMS can migrate to a new RDS instance with a new major version while minimizing downtime through continuous replication and a cutover.

  • ✗

    Create a Read Replica of the DB instance with the new version, promote it to a standalone instance, and then redirect application traffic.

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect. Amazon RDS for SQL Server does not support creating a Read Replica with a different major version. This approach is not viable.

  • ✗

    Take a snapshot of the DB instance and restore it with the new version.

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect. Taking a snapshot and restoring it with the new version causes downtime during the restore process.

  • ✗

    Modify the DB instance directly and apply the new version during the maintenance window.

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect. Modifying the DB instance directly for a major version upgrade causes downtime during the upgrade process.

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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.