DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A company is using an Amazon Aurora MySQL DB cluster. The company wants to implement a backup strategy that supports point-in-time recovery (PITR) with a recovery time objective (RTO) of 15 minutes and a recovery point objective (RPO) of 5 minutes. Which TWO actions should the company take?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume automated backups require a retention period of exactly 5 minutes to achieve a 5-minute RPO, but Aurora's PITR is based on the frequency of transaction log application (every 5 minutes) and the retention period must be at least 1 day; the 5-minute RPO is inherent to the service, not configurable via retention period.
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
✓
Configure automated backups with a retention period of at least 1 day.
Aurora automated backups with a retention period of at least 1 day provide continuous backup and point-in-time recovery (PITR) with an RPO of 5 minutes because transaction logs are uploaded every 5 minutes. This meets the required RPO of 5 minutes, and restoring can achieve an RTO under 15 minutes. Option E is correct because Aurora Backtrack allows rewinding the cluster to a specific point in time, achieving an RPO of 5 minutes and an RTO of minutes (typically under 15). No other option meets both the stated RTO and RPO.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure automated backups with a retention period of at least 1 day.
Why this is correct
Automated backups enable PITR.
- ✗
Create manual snapshots every 5 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
Manual snapshots are not point-in-time and take time to create.
- ✗
Enable cross-Region replication for the cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-Region replication is for disaster recovery, not PITR.
- ✗
Enable parallel query for the cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Parallel query improves query performance, not backup.
- ✓
Enable Aurora Backtrack.
Why this is correct
Backtrack allows rewinding the cluster to a specific time, meeting RTO and RPO.
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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.