DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A database administrator notices that Amazon RDS for MySQL is experiencing high CPU utilization during peak hours. The application is read-heavy with many SELECT queries. Which action is most cost-effective to improve performance?
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
✓
Create one or more read replicas and direct read traffic to them.
The most cost-effective solution for a read-heavy, high-CPU workload on Amazon RDS for MySQL is to create one or more read replicas and direct read traffic to them. This offloads SELECT queries from the primary DB instance, reducing CPU utilization without incurring the high cost of upgrading the primary instance. Option B (increasing DB instance class) and Option D (vertical scaling to higher vCPU) are more expensive and not cost-effective. Option C (increasing allocated storage) improves I/O throughput but does not directly reduce CPU utilization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create one or more read replicas and direct read traffic to them.
Why this is correct
Read replicas distribute read workload, reducing primary CPU.
- ✗
Increase the DB instance class to a larger size.
Why it's wrong here
Larger instance is more expensive and may not be necessary.
- ✗
Increase the allocated storage to improve I/O throughput.
Why it's wrong here
Storage increase does not reduce CPU utilization.
- ✗
Scale up the DB instance vertically to a higher vCPU count.
Why it's wrong here
Vertical scaling is costlier than adding read replicas.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every DBS-C01 question from scratch — 1,663 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.