The answer is to create an Aurora cluster with one primary and two readers in different Availability Zones. This configuration is correct because Aurora’s shared cluster volume is replicated six ways across three AZs, meaning all committed transactions are immediately available to every reader; during a failover, the promoted reader has zero data loss since it already holds the latest write-ahead log. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this tests your understanding that Aurora’s multi-AZ architecture differs from standard RDS Multi-AZ—Aurora uses storage-level replication rather than a standby instance, so you need at least one reader in a separate AZ to enable automatic failover. A common trap is thinking a single reader suffices, but two readers ensure quorum and faster failover. Memory tip: “Six copies, three AZs, one failover—zero data loss.”
DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 is deploying a multi-AZ Aurora MySQL database. They need to ensure that failover happens automatically with minimal data loss. Which configuration should be used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an Aurora cluster with one primary and two readers in different Availability Zones.
Option C is correct because an Aurora cluster with one primary and two readers in different Availability Zones provides automatic failover with minimal data loss. Aurora uses a shared cluster volume that is replicated six ways across three AZs, ensuring that during a failover, the promoted reader has access to all committed transactions with no data loss. This configuration meets the requirement for multi-AZ high availability and automatic failover within a single region.
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.
✗
Deploy an Aurora Global Database with a primary in one region and a secondary in another region.
Why it's wrong here
Global Database is for cross-region DR, not automatic failover in the same region.
✗
Use a Multi-AZ RDS for MySQL deployment.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ RDS for MySQL is a different engine; Aurora is the asked service.
✓
Create an Aurora cluster with one primary and two readers in different Availability Zones.
Why this is correct
Aurora automatically fails over to a reader with minimal data loss.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure a single-AZ Aurora instance and enable cross-Region replication.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-Region replication does not provide automatic failover within the same region.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Multi-AZ RDS for MySQL with Aurora's multi-AZ architecture, not realizing that Aurora's distributed storage and reader promotion provide superior automatic failover with minimal data loss compared to traditional RDS Multi-AZ.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Aurora's shared cluster volume is distributed across three Availability Zones, with each AZ containing two copies of the data, for a total of six copies. During a failover, Aurora promotes one of the reader instances to primary by updating the cluster endpoint, typically completing in under 30 seconds. The storage subsystem automatically recovers any in-flight transactions from the last committed checkpoint, ensuring zero data loss for committed transactions.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Deployment and Migration — This question tests Deployment and Migration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an Aurora cluster with one primary and two readers in different Availability Zones. — Option C is correct because an Aurora cluster with one primary and two readers in different Availability Zones provides automatic failover with minimal data loss. Aurora uses a shared cluster volume that is replicated six ways across three AZs, ensuring that during a failover, the promoted reader has access to all committed transactions with no data loss. This configuration meets the requirement for multi-AZ high availability and automatic failover within a single region.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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