The answer is to deploy an Aurora Global Database with a secondary cluster in us-west-2 configured as a failover target. This solution meets the stringent disaster recovery requirements of a 5-second RPO and 1-minute RTO because Aurora Global Database uses dedicated, fast-replication infrastructure to replicate data across regions with typical lag under one second, and failover to the secondary cluster can be initiated in roughly a minute. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cross-region replication options and their trade-offs; a common trap is choosing cross-region read replicas, which can suffer from replication lag exceeding five seconds for a 5 TB database, or automated backups, which only offer a 5-minute RPO. Remember the memory tip: “Global for low lag, read replicas for read scaling, backups for point-in-time.”
DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. 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 financial services company runs a production Amazon Aurora MySQL database cluster (1 writer, 2 readers) in us-east-1. The database stores critical trading data. The company's disaster recovery policy requires an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 minute for a regional failure. The current setup does not include any cross-region replication. The database is 5 TB in size. The operations team needs to implement a solution that meets the DR requirements with minimal cost and operational overhead. Which solution should the team implement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deploy an Aurora Global Database with a secondary cluster in us-west-2. Configure the secondary cluster as a failover target.
Aurora Global Database provides replication across regions with typical RPO of seconds and RTO of minutes. It is the most appropriate solution for low RPO/RTO with minimal overhead. Option B is correct. Option A (cross-region read replicas) can have replication lag exceeding 5 seconds. Option C (automated backups) have RPO of 5 minutes. Option D (DMS) adds cost and complexity.
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.
✗
Enable automated backups and configure cross-Region snapshot copy. Use point-in-time recovery in the secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots have RPO of 5 minutes, not 5 seconds.
✓
Deploy an Aurora Global Database with a secondary cluster in us-west-2. Configure the secondary cluster as a failover target.
Why this is correct
Global Database offers low RPO/RTO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to continuously replicate changes to an Aurora cluster in us-west-2.
Why it's wrong here
DMS adds cost and complexity; may not meet RTO of 1 minute.
✗
Create cross-Region read replicas in us-west-2 and set up a replication channel. In disaster, promote a replica.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-Region read replicas may have lag >5 seconds.
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.
Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy an Aurora Global Database with a secondary cluster in us-west-2. Configure the secondary cluster as a failover target. — Aurora Global Database provides replication across regions with typical RPO of seconds and RTO of minutes. It is the most appropriate solution for low RPO/RTO with minimal overhead. Option B is correct. Option A (cross-region read replicas) can have replication lag exceeding 5 seconds. Option C (automated backups) have RPO of 5 minutes. Option D (DMS) adds cost and complexity.
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 →
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 is designing a disaster recovery strategy for an Amazon Aurora MySQL database with a recovery point objective (RPO) of 1 second and a recovery time objective (RTO) of 1 minute. Which TWO solutions meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
easy
A.Use a Multi-AZ DB cluster deployment.
B.Take manual snapshots every hour and copy to another region.
C.Enable automated backups and perform point-in-time recovery in another region.
✓ D.Deploy an Aurora Global Database with a secondary region.
✓ E.Configure cross-Region read replicas and promote in disaster.
Why D: Option A: Aurora Global Database provides replication across regions with RPO of seconds and RTO of minutes. Option D: Cross-Region read replicas can be promoted quickly. Option B: Multi-AZ is within region, not cross-region DR. Option C: Automated backups have RPO of 5 minutes. Option E: Snapshots are not frequent enough.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
Question Discussion
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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.
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