- A
Increase the DB instance class to a larger size to handle the write load.
Why wrong: Increasing instance size does not directly reduce failover time or improve recovery.
- B
Disable Multi-AZ and use a single-AZ deployment to avoid future failovers.
Why wrong: Disabling Multi-AZ reduces availability, which is not recommended.
- C
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 1 day to allow point-in-time recovery.
Automated backups enable point-in-time recovery, helping restore to the latest transaction.
- D
Take a manual snapshot of the DB instance immediately.
Why wrong: Manual snapshots are useful but not as immediate as automated backups for point-in-time recovery.
- E
Verify that the failover completed successfully by checking the RDS event log and monitoring the new primary's status.
Verifying failover ensures the new primary is operational and data is consistent.
DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 using Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment. The primary instance recently experienced an unexpected failover due to a hardware failure. The database is 2 TB in size and has high write throughput. Which TWO actions should the database administrator take to minimize recovery time and ensure data durability?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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.
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
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 1 day to allow point-in-time recovery.
Option B is correct because enabling automated backups with a short retention period ensures point-in-time recovery. Option D is correct because verifying that the Multi-AZ failover completed successfully confirms data consistency. Option A is wrong because increasing instance size may not directly improve failover time. Option C is wrong because disabling Multi-AZ reduces availability. Option E is wrong because manual snapshots are not as immediate as automated backups for recovery.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the DB instance class to a larger size to handle the write load.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing instance size does not directly reduce failover time or improve recovery.
- ✗
Disable Multi-AZ and use a single-AZ deployment to avoid future failovers.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling Multi-AZ reduces availability, which is not recommended.
- ✓
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 1 day to allow point-in-time recovery.
Why this is correct
Automated backups enable point-in-time recovery, helping restore to the latest transaction.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "primary", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Take a manual snapshot of the DB instance immediately.
Why it's wrong here
Manual snapshots are useful but not as immediate as automated backups for point-in-time recovery.
- ✓
Verify that the failover completed successfully by checking the RDS event log and monitoring the new primary's status.
Why this is correct
Verifying failover ensures the new primary is operational and data is consistent.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "primary", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
- →
Management and Operations — study guide chapter
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Management and Operations practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable automated backups with a retention period of 1 day to allow point-in-time recovery. — Option B is correct because enabling automated backups with a short retention period ensures point-in-time recovery. Option D is correct because verifying that the Multi-AZ failover completed successfully confirms data consistency. Option A is wrong because increasing instance size may not directly improve failover time. Option C is wrong because disabling Multi-AZ reduces availability. Option E is wrong because manual snapshots are not as immediate as automated backups for recovery.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary", "minimum / minimize". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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