DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
An organization wants to migrate a 200 GB MySQL database from an on-premises server to Amazon Aurora MySQL. They have a 50 Mbps network connection. The database is 8 hours of downtime. The migration must be completed within 24 hours and costs must be minimized. The team decides to use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS). Which approach best meets the requirements?
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
✓
Use AWS DMS with a full load and ongoing replication to minimize downtime.
Using a DMS full load with ongoing replication minimizes downtime and works within the network constraints. Option A is wrong because taking a dump over the network would take too long. Option C is wrong because using Snowball is overkill for 200 GB and shipping would take too long. Option D is wrong because using a larger instance is unnecessary and costly.
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 mysqldump and transfer it over the network to S3, then restore to Aurora.
Why it's wrong here
Network transfer at 50 Mbps would take ~9 hours; plus dump/restore time exceeds 24 hours.
- ✓
Use AWS DMS with a full load and ongoing replication to minimize downtime.
Why this is correct
DMS can handle full load and CDC within constraints.
- ✗
Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer the data physically.
Why it's wrong here
Snowball adds days for shipping; not needed for 200 GB.
- ✗
Provision a large EC2 instance to run a parallel export and import.
Why it's wrong here
Network bottleneck remains; cost higher.
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Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on DBS-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company has a 50 GB MariaDB database on an on-premises server. They want to migrate to Amazon RDS for MariaDB. They have a 100 Mbps network connection. The migration window is 2 hours. The database can be offline for up to 30 minutes. Which migration approach is most appropriate?
easy- A.Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication.
- B.Use AWS Snowball to transfer the database files.
- ✓ C.Create a MariaDB dump, transfer to an EC2 instance in the same region, then import to RDS.
- D.Use AWS SCT to convert schema and then use DMS.
Why C: The most appropriate because a MariaDB dump to an EC2 instance in the same region allows for a fast transfer over the network, and the import into RDS can be completed within the 2-hour migration window. The 50 GB database at 100 Mbps can be transferred in just over an hour, well within the window. Option A (DMS with ongoing replication) is unnecessarily complex for a one-time migration and may require more setup time. Option B (Snowball) is overkill for 50 GB and would not meet the 2-hour window due to shipping and processing delays. Option D (SCT) is not needed since the source and target are both MariaDB, and schema conversion is unnecessary.
Variation 2. Which TWO of the following are valid methods to migrate an on-premises MySQL database to Amazon RDS for MySQL? (Select TWO.)
easy- A.Use pg_dump to export the data and import into RDS.
- ✓ B.Use AWS DMS to migrate from on-premises MySQL to RDS.
- C.Use SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) to migrate the data.
- D.Use Oracle Data Pump to export the data and import into RDS.
- ✓ E.Use mysqldump to export the database and import it into RDS.
Why B: AWS DMS (Database Migration Service) is a fully managed service designed to migrate databases to AWS with minimal downtime. It supports homogeneous migrations like MySQL to Amazon RDS for MySQL, handling schema conversion, data replication, and ongoing changes via change data capture (CDC). This makes option B a valid and recommended method for migrating an on-premises MySQL database to RDS.
Variation 3. Which TWO AWS services can be used together to migrate an on-premises MySQL database to Amazon Aurora MySQL with minimal downtime? (Select TWO.)
easy- ✓ A.AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT)
- B.Amazon Route 53
- C.AWS CloudFormation
- ✓ D.AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
- E.AWS Global Accelerator
Why A: AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) can perform continuous replication from an on-premises MySQL source to an Amazon Aurora MySQL target using change data capture (CDC), enabling near-zero downtime. The AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) is used to assess and convert the source schema, including any incompatible objects, to ensure the Aurora target is ready for migration. Together, SCT handles schema transformation while DMS handles the ongoing data replication.
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.