DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company wants to migrate a 1 TB on-premises PostgreSQL database to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. They have a limited internet bandwidth. Which service should they use to accelerate the migration?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume AWS DMS is always the best choice for database migrations, but they overlook the critical constraint of limited bandwidth, which makes a physical appliance like Snowball Edge the only viable option for accelerating the initial bulk transfer.
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
✓
AWS Snowball Edge
AWS Snowball Edge is the correct choice because it provides a physical storage device that can be used to transfer large volumes of data (1 TB) over a limited internet bandwidth. By shipping the device to AWS, the initial bulk data load bypasses the internet entirely, which accelerates the migration. After the data is loaded into Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL via Snowball Edge, AWS DMS can be used for ongoing replication to keep the database in sync.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
AWS Snowball Edge
Why this is correct
Offline data transfer bypasses bandwidth limitations.
- ✗
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
Requires sufficient bandwidth.
- ✗
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
Not for direct database migration.
- ✗
AWS Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
Still requires bandwidth, though dedicated.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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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.