Quick Answer
The correct answer is DatabaseConnections and ReplicaLag. During an RDS Multi-AZ failover, the primary instance is taken offline and the standby is promoted, causing all active database connections to drop to zero, which is captured by the DatabaseConnections metric. Simultaneously, the ReplicaLag metric, which measures the delay between the primary and standby, will disappear because the former standby becomes the new primary and no longer reports lag. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of failover verification metrics versus general performance metrics; a common trap is choosing WriteIOPS or ReadIOPS, which fluctuate during normal operations but do not specifically confirm a failover event. To remember this, think of the failover as a “disconnect and switch”: DatabaseConnections shows the disconnect, and ReplicaLag vanishing confirms the switch.
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and troubleshooting. 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 SQL Server with Multi-AZ. The application experiences a brief interruption during a planned maintenance window. The DBA wants to verify that the failover occurred correctly. Which set of metrics should the DBA examine?
FreeStorageSpace on the primary instance
Why wrong: Storage does not change during failover.
DatabaseConnections and ReplicaLag
Connections drop to zero during failover, and ReplicaLag becomes zero after failover.
WriteIOPS and ReadIOPS for both instances
Why wrong: IOPS changes do not definitively confirm a failover.
NetworkThroughput on the replica instance
Why wrong: Network throughput is not a failover indicator.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
DatabaseConnections and ReplicaLag
Option D is correct because a failover results in a brief downtime (DatabaseConnections drop to zero) followed by a switch from master to standby (ReplicaLag disappears). Option A is wrong because WriteIOPS and ReadIOPS may change but not specifically indicate failover. Option B is wrong because FreeStorageSpace does not change during failover. Option C is wrong because NetworkThroughput may fluctuate but is not a direct indicator of failover.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
FreeStorageSpace on the primary instance
Why it's wrong here
Storage does not change during failover.
DatabaseConnections and ReplicaLag
Why this is correct
Connections drop to zero during failover, and ReplicaLag becomes zero after failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
WriteIOPS and ReadIOPS for both instances
Why it's wrong here
IOPS changes do not definitively confirm a failover.
NetworkThroughput on the replica instance
Why it's wrong here
Network throughput is not a failover indicator.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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.
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FAQ
Monitoring and Troubleshooting — This question tests Monitoring and Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: DatabaseConnections and ReplicaLag — Option D is correct because a failover results in a brief downtime (DatabaseConnections drop to zero) followed by a switch from master to standby (ReplicaLag disappears). Option A is wrong because WriteIOPS and ReadIOPS may change but not specifically indicate failover. Option B is wrong because FreeStorageSpace does not change during failover. Option C is wrong because NetworkThroughput may fluctuate but is not a direct indicator of failover.
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.
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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