The answer is to export inactive profiles to Amazon S3 and use S3 Intelligent-Tiering for storage. This approach is the most cost-effective because S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves data between four access tiers—frequent, infrequent, archive instant, and deep archive—based on changing access patterns, so you pay only for the storage you actually use without manual tier management. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your ability to balance queryability with cost optimization for cold data; the common trap is choosing a read replica (which keeps all data hot in RDS) or DynamoDB TTL (which deletes rather than archives). Remember that to archive inactive user data cost-effectively, you need a service that adapts to infrequent access while still allowing querying via Athena or S3 Select. Memory tip: “Intelligent-Tiering = set it and forget it for cold data.”
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has a MySQL database that stores user profile data. The database is 1 TB and growing. The team wants to archive inactive user profiles that haven't been accessed in over 1 year. The archived data must be queryable but at a slower performance tier. Which approach is most cost-effective?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Export inactive profiles to Amazon S3 and use S3 Intelligent-Tiering for storage
Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves data between access tiers to optimize costs. Querying S3 data can be done using Amazon Athena or S3 Select. Option A (RDS read replica) keeps all data in RDS, costly. Option B (DMS to S3) is a one-time load; S3 Intelligent-Tiering optimizes storage costs over time. Option D (DynamoDB TTL) deletes data, not archives.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 an RDS read replica and delete inactive records from the primary
Why it's wrong here
The read replica would still store the data, incurring costs.
✗
Move inactive profiles to Amazon Aurora Serverless and stop the cluster when not in use
Why it's wrong here
Aurora Serverless is still a relational database and may incur costs even when paused.
✓
Export inactive profiles to Amazon S3 and use S3 Intelligent-Tiering for storage
Why this is correct
S3 Intelligent-Tiering optimizes costs, and the data can be queried using Athena.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Amazon DynamoDB with TTL to expire inactive profiles
Why it's wrong here
TTL deletes data automatically, not for archiving.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Export inactive profiles to Amazon S3 and use S3 Intelligent-Tiering for storage — Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves data between access tiers to optimize costs. Querying S3 data can be done using Amazon Athena or S3 Select. Option A (RDS read replica) keeps all data in RDS, costly. Option B (DMS to S3) is a one-time load; S3 Intelligent-Tiering optimizes storage costs over time. Option D (DynamoDB TTL) deletes data, not archives.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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