DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
A company runs an application that requires a relational database with high availability across multiple Availability Zones. The database must automatically failover with minimal downtime. Which AWS service meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse DynamoDB global tables (multi-Region replication) with Multi-AZ failover, or assume that a single RDS instance with automated backups provides the same availability as Multi-AZ, but automated backups do not provide automatic failover or synchronous replication.
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
✓
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment.
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment automatically provisions and maintains a synchronous standby replica in a different Availability Zone. If the primary instance fails, Amazon RDS automatically fails over to the standby, typically within 60–120 seconds, providing high availability with minimal downtime. This meets the requirement for a relational database with automatic failover across multiple Availability Zones.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment.
Why this is correct
Automatic failover to standby in different AZ.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB with global tables.
Why it's wrong here
NoSQL, not relational.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift with cross-Region snapshots.
Why it's wrong here
Not suitable for OLTP.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for MySQL with a single instance.
Why it's wrong here
No high availability.
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