DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A database administrator notices that the free storage space on an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance is decreasing rapidly. The instance has automated backups enabled with a retention period of 7 days. Which action should be taken to monitor storage usage and prevent running out of space?
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
✓
Set up a CloudWatch alarm on the FreeStorageSpace metric to notify when space is low.
Setting a CloudWatch alarm on the FreeStorageSpace metric allows proactive monitoring and notification when storage is low. Option A is incorrect because lifecycle policies to move backups to S3 Glacier are not applicable to RDS automated backups; they are managed separately. Option C is incorrect because increasing storage is a reactive measure, not a monitoring action, and may cause downtime. Option D is incorrect because Performance Insights focuses on database performance, not storage tracking.
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 a lifecycle policy to automatically move old backup files to Amazon S3 Glacier.
Why it's wrong here
RDS automated backups are stored internally and cannot be moved to S3 Glacier directly.
- ✓
Set up a CloudWatch alarm on the FreeStorageSpace metric to notify when space is low.
Why this is correct
CloudWatch alarms provide proactive monitoring and alerting for storage usage.
- ✗
Increase the allocated storage for the DB instance immediately.
Why it's wrong here
This is a reactive action; monitoring should be implemented first to understand the trend.
- ✗
Enable Performance Insights to track storage usage.
Why it's wrong here
Performance Insights tracks database performance, not storage metrics.
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.