- A
Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling.
Why wrong: Auto Scaling is for EC2 instances, not RDS.
- B
AWS Management Console.
Why wrong: The console is manual and not suitable for infrastructure as code.
- C
AWS CloudFormation.
CloudFormation enables declarative provisioning of RDS instances.
- D
AWS Command Line Interface (CLI).
Why wrong: CLI is scriptable but not a declarative infrastructure as code service.
Question 104 of 1,730
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 migrating a PostgreSQL database to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. They want to automate the deployment of the RDS instance using infrastructure as code. Which AWS service should they use?
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
✓
AWS CloudFormation.
AWS CloudFormation is the correct service for automating the deployment of an RDS for PostgreSQL instance using infrastructure as code. It allows you to define the entire RDS instance configuration—including DB instance class, storage, backup retention, and security groups—in a declarative JSON or YAML template, which can be version-controlled and reused for consistent, repeatable deployments.
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 EC2 Auto Scaling.
Why it's wrong here
Auto Scaling is for EC2 instances, not RDS.
- ✗
AWS Management Console.
Why it's wrong here
The console is manual and not suitable for infrastructure as code.
- ✓
AWS CloudFormation.
Why this is correct
CloudFormation enables declarative provisioning of RDS instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Command Line Interface (CLI).
Why it's wrong here
CLI is scriptable but not a declarative infrastructure as code service.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the AWS CLI (a scripting tool) with infrastructure as code, but the CLI lacks the declarative, state-management, and drift-detection capabilities that define true IaC services like CloudFormation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudFormation uses a template engine that interprets the 'AWS::RDS::DBInstance' resource type to provision the RDS instance, handling dependencies like subnet groups and parameter groups automatically. Under the hood, CloudFormation creates a stack that tracks resource states and supports change sets for safe updates, which is critical for production database deployments where rollback and consistency are paramount. In a real-world scenario, a team might use CloudFormation to deploy a multi-AZ RDS for PostgreSQL instance with automated backups and encryption at rest, ensuring compliance and repeatability across environments.
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 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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
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: AWS CloudFormation. — AWS CloudFormation is the correct service for automating the deployment of an RDS for PostgreSQL instance using infrastructure as code. It allows you to define the entire RDS instance configuration—including DB instance class, storage, backup retention, and security groups—in a declarative JSON or YAML template, which can be version-controlled and reused for consistent, repeatable deployments.
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.
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 →
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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