Quick Answer
The answer is a Multi-AZ deployment, which provides automatic failover in RDS for high availability by provisioning and synchronously replicating data to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone. When the primary fails, RDS automatically flips the DNS record to the standby, typically completing the failover within one to two minutes with no manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of the distinction between high availability and disaster recovery—a common trap is confusing Multi-AZ with Read Replicas, which scale reads but do not offer automatic failover. Remember that Multi-AZ is for HA (synchronous replication, same region), while Read Replicas are for performance (asynchronous, cross-region capable). A simple memory tip: “Multi-AZ means multiple zones for zero-downtime failover; Read Replicas are for read relief, not relief from failure.”
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. 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 wants to deploy a highly available Amazon RDS for MySQL database across two Availability Zones. Which feature should be enabled?
Read replicas in a different AZ
Why wrong: Read replicas are asynchronous and do not provide automatic failover.
Automated backups with retention
Why wrong: Backups are for recovery, not high availability.
Enhanced Monitoring
Why wrong: Enhanced Monitoring provides metrics, not failover.
Multi-AZ deployment
Multi-AZ provides synchronous standby for automatic failover.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Multi-AZ deployment
Option A is correct because Multi-AZ deployment provides automatic failover to a standby in a different AZ. Option B is wrong because read replicas are for read scaling, not high availability. Option C is wrong because automatic backups are for point-in-time recovery. Option D is wrong because Enhanced Monitoring provides metrics, not HA.
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.
Read replicas in a different AZ
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas are asynchronous and do not provide automatic failover.
Automated backups with retention
Why it's wrong here
Backups are for recovery, not high availability.
Enhanced Monitoring
Why it's wrong here
Enhanced Monitoring provides metrics, not failover.
Multi-AZ deployment
Why this is correct
Multi-AZ provides synchronous standby for automatic failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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
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
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
Deployment and Migration — This question tests Deployment and Migration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Multi-AZ deployment — Option A is correct because Multi-AZ deployment provides automatic failover to a standby in a different AZ. Option B is wrong because read replicas are for read scaling, not high availability. Option C is wrong because automatic backups are for point-in-time recovery. Option D is wrong because Enhanced Monitoring provides metrics, not HA.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is deploying Amazon RDS for MySQL in a Multi-AZ configuration for high availability. The database must be able to automatically failover to a standby in another Availability Zone. Which RDS feature enables this?
easyWhy A: Option B is correct because Multi-AZ deployments provide automatic failover. Option A is wrong because Read Replicas are for read scaling, not automatic failover. Option C is wrong because Automated backups are for point-in-time recovery, not failover. Option D is wrong because Enhanced Monitoring provides metrics, not failover.
Variation 2. A company is planning to deploy a new Amazon RDS for Oracle database in a Multi-AZ configuration. The database must be highly available and fault-tolerant. Which THREE actions should the company take to meet these requirements? (Choose three.)
mediumWhy C: Multi-AZ deployment automatically creates a standby instance in a different AZ. Automated backups are enabled by default and stored across multiple AZs. Retaining automated backups for 35 days provides point-in-time recovery. Read replicas are for read scaling, not high availability. Manual snapshots are for long-term retention, not high availability. Multi-Region replication is for disaster recovery, not high availability.
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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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