DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 migrate a 10 GB PostgreSQL database from an on-premises server to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The migration can tolerate several hours of downtime. Which migration method is the MOST straightforward?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import into RDS
Option D is correct because pg_dump and pg_restore are native PostgreSQL utilities that provide a straightforward, reliable method for migrating a 10 GB database with acceptable downtime. The 10 GB size is well within the practical limits of a logical dump, and the process requires no additional AWS services or complex configuration, making it the simplest approach for a migration that can tolerate several hours of downtime.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) with ongoing replication
Why it's wrong here
DMS is overkill for a migration that can tolerate hours of downtime.
✗
Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (AWS SCT) to migrate the data
Why it's wrong here
AWS SCT is for schema conversion, not data migration.
✗
Create an Amazon RDS Read Replica from the on-premises database
Why it's wrong here
Read Replicas cannot be created from on-premises databases.
✓
Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import into RDS
Why this is correct
This is the simplest method for a one-time migration with downtime tolerance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may over-engineer the solution by choosing AWS DMS with ongoing replication, assuming it is always the best migration tool, when the question explicitly states that several hours of downtime are acceptable, making the simpler native pg_dump/pg_restore approach the most straightforward.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, pg_dump creates a logical snapshot of the database as a SQL script or custom archive file, which can be restored with pg_restore using parallel jobs to speed up the import. For a 10 GB database, this method is efficient and avoids the overhead of setting up network-level replication or change data capture, which would be overkill for a batch migration with downtime tolerance.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Deployment and Migration — This question tests Deployment and Migration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import into RDS — Option D is correct because pg_dump and pg_restore are native PostgreSQL utilities that provide a straightforward, reliable method for migrating a 10 GB database with acceptable downtime. The 10 GB size is well within the practical limits of a logical dump, and the process requires no additional AWS services or complex configuration, making it the simplest approach for a migration that can tolerate several hours of downtime.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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