DBS-C01 Monitoring and Troubleshooting Practice Question
A database administrator is monitoring an Amazon RDS for SQL Server DB instance and notices that the FreeableMemory metric is consistently below 200 MB. Which of the following actions is most appropriate to mitigate performance issues?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates may incorrectly assume that disabling background processes like SQL Server Agent or changing maintenance windows can reduce memory pressure, but these actions have negligible impact on memory usage. The direct solution is to increase memory by scaling the instance.
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
✓
Scale up the DB instance to a larger instance class with more memory
A low FreeableMemory metric consistently below 200 MB indicates memory pressure on the RDS for SQL Server DB instance. The most effective mitigation is to scale up to a larger instance class with more memory, directly addressing the resource shortage. Option D is correct because it increases available memory. Option B is incorrect because disabling SQL Server Agent and error logging does not free significant memory and may disrupt essential operations. Option A is incorrect because changing the maintenance window does not affect memory usage. Option C is incorrect because enabling backups with a shorter retention period does not impact memory.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Modify the DB instance's maintenance window to off-peak hours
Why it's wrong here
Changing the maintenance window to off-peak hours does not affect memory usage or free up memory, so it is not appropriate for mitigating memory pressure.
- ✗
Disable the SQL Server Agent and error logging
Why it's wrong here
Disabling SQL Server Agent and error logging is not a standard practice and does not free up significant memory; it may also disrupt important operational tasks, so it is not recommended.
- ✗
Enable automatic backups with a shorter retention period
Why it's wrong here
Enabling automatic backups with a shorter retention period does not affect memory usage, as backups are stored on disk, not in memory.
- ✓
Scale up the DB instance to a larger instance class with more memory
Why this is correct
Scaling up to a larger instance class with more memory directly addresses the low FreeableMemory by increasing the total memory available to the instance, which is the most appropriate action.
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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.