This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of database security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 wants to audit all SQL queries made to their Amazon RDS for MySQL database. Which AWS service should they use?
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information.
AWS Config
Why wrong: AWS Config tracks resource configuration changes.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not database queries.
Database Activity Streams
Database Activity Streams provide a near-real-time stream of database activities.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Database Activity Streams
Database Activity Streams (D) is the correct choice because it provides a near-real-time stream of database activity, including all SQL queries, directly from the RDS for MySQL engine. This service integrates with AWS services like Amazon Kinesis and third-party monitoring tools to capture and audit every SQL statement, user login, and schema change at the database engine level, which is essential for comprehensive auditing.
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.
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config tracks resource configuration changes.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not database queries.
Database Activity Streams
Why this is correct
Database Activity Streams provide a near-real-time stream of database activities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse CloudTrail (which logs AWS API calls) with database-level auditing, failing to recognize that CloudTrail does not capture SQL queries executed inside the database engine.
Detailed technical explanation
Database Activity Streams work by enabling a native MySQL plugin (such as the Audit Plugin for MySQL 5.7/8.0) that streams audit records to Amazon Kinesis Data Streams. Each record includes fields like statement, user, host, database, and timestamp, allowing for granular forensic analysis. A real-world scenario is a financial application that must log every SELECT and DML statement for compliance with PCI DSS or SOX, which cannot be achieved with network or API-level logs alone.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
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FAQ
Database Security — This question tests Database Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Database Activity Streams — Database Activity Streams (D) is the correct choice because it provides a near-real-time stream of database activity, including all SQL queries, directly from the RDS for MySQL engine. This service integrates with AWS services like Amazon Kinesis and third-party monitoring tools to capture and audit every SQL statement, user login, and schema change at the database engine level, which is essential for comprehensive auditing.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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