DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A startup is running an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database for its web application. The database size is 50 GB. The company wants to implement a backup strategy that allows point-in-time recovery (PITR) to any point within the last 35 days with minimal storage cost. Which backup strategy should be used?
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
✓
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 35 days.
Automated backups in Amazon RDS provide point-in-time recovery (PITR) within the retention period, and the maximum retention period is 35 days. Enabling automated backups with a 35-day retention period meets the requirement for PITR to any point within the last 35 days with minimal storage cost, as the backup storage is charged only for the incremental changes. Option B (AWS Backup) introduces additional cost and complexity without adding value for this scenario. Option C (7-day retention with cross-region copy) does not achieve 35-day PITR and incurs cross-region transfer costs. Option D (daily manual snapshots) does not provide PITR and results in higher storage costs due to full snapshots.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 35 days.
Why this is correct
Automated backups support PITR up to 35 days.
- ✗
Use AWS Backup to schedule daily snapshots with 35-day retention.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Backup snapshots do not support PITR.
- ✗
Enable automated backups with 7-day retention and copy snapshots to another region.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region copy adds cost and does not extend PITR.
- ✗
Take manual snapshots daily and retain 35 snapshots.
Why it's wrong here
Manual snapshots do not support PITR.
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.