- A
Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams
Database Activity Streams captures database activity including SQL statements and sends to CloudWatch and Kinesis.
- B
Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring
Why wrong: Enhanced Monitoring provides metrics on OS processes, not SQL queries.
- C
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs stores logs but does not capture database activity without a source like Activity Streams.
- D
Amazon RDS Performance Insights
Why wrong: Performance Insights focuses on database performance, not auditing.
Question 311 of 1,730
Auditing SQL Statements: Database Activity Streams for RDS and Aurora
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of database security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 database administrator needs to audit all SQL statements executed on an Amazon Aurora MySQL DB cluster, including SELECT queries. Which AWS service should be used to capture and store these logs?
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
✓
Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams
Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams (Option A) is the correct service to capture and store audit logs of SQL statements, including SELECT queries, on an Aurora MySQL DB cluster. It streams database activity to Amazon CloudWatch Logs and Amazon Kinesis Data Streams for further analysis and storage. Option B (Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring) provides OS-level metrics, not SQL statements. Option C (Amazon CloudWatch Logs) can store logs but does not capture SQL statements directly; it requires a source like Database Activity Streams. Option D (Amazon RDS Performance Insights) monitors database performance, not SQL audit logs.
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.
- ✓
Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams
Why this is correct
Database Activity Streams captures database activity including SQL statements and sends to CloudWatch and Kinesis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring
Why it's wrong here
Enhanced Monitoring provides metrics on OS processes, not SQL queries.
- ✗
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs stores logs but does not capture database activity without a source like Activity Streams.
- ✗
Amazon RDS Performance Insights
Why it's wrong here
Performance Insights focuses on database performance, not auditing.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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 |
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
Database Security — This question tests Database Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams — Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams (Option A) is the correct service to capture and store audit logs of SQL statements, including SELECT queries, on an Aurora MySQL DB cluster. It streams database activity to Amazon CloudWatch Logs and Amazon Kinesis Data Streams for further analysis and storage. Option B (Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring) provides OS-level metrics, not SQL statements. Option C (Amazon CloudWatch Logs) can store logs but does not capture SQL statements directly; it requires a source like Database Activity Streams. Option D (Amazon RDS Performance Insights) monitors database performance, not SQL audit logs.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 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 database administrator needs to audit all SQL statements executed on an Amazon RDS for Oracle DB instance. The audit logs must be stored in Amazon S3 for long-term retention and analysis with Amazon Athena. Which solution meets these requirements?
medium- A.Enable Enhanced Monitoring on the RDS instance and publish logs to CloudWatch Logs.
- ✓ B.Configure Oracle's unified auditing and stream audit logs to CloudWatch Logs, then export to S3.
- C.Enable AWS CloudTrail to capture RDS API calls and store them in S3.
- D.Enable detailed billing reports and configure them to include database queries.
Why B: Option B is correct because Oracle's unified auditing can be configured to stream audit logs to CloudWatch Logs, which can then be exported to Amazon S3 for long-term retention and analysis with Athena. Option A is incorrect because Enhanced Monitoring provides OS-level metrics, not SQL audit logs. Option C is incorrect because AWS CloudTrail captures API calls to RDS, not SQL statements executed within the database. Option D is incorrect because detailed billing reports do not include database query logs.
Variation 2. A database administrator needs to audit all SQL statements executed on an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance. Which service should be used to capture and log the SQL statements?
easy- A.AWS CloudTrail
- B.AWS Config
- C.Amazon Inspector
- ✓ D.Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database activity streams
Why D: Option D is correct. Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL supports database activity streams, which can be integrated with services like Amazon CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail to provide a near real-time stream of database activities. The other options do not capture SQL statements: CloudTrail records API calls to RDS, Config records resource configuration changes, and Inspector is for vulnerability assessment.
Keep practising
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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