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Question 623 of 1,730

Deployment and Migration →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question

This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. 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 company is migrating a 10 TB PostgreSQL database from on-premises to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. They need to minimize downtime and have limited network bandwidth. Which approach is most appropriate?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

A
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with a full load and ongoing replication to keep the target in sync.
Why wrong: Full load over limited bandwidth may take too long; initial load should be done offline.
B
Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import to RDS, then use DMS for replication.
Why wrong: pg_dump/pg_restore requires downtime; not minimal downtime.
C
Use AWS Snowball to transfer a physical backup to AWS, then use DMS for ongoing replication.
Snowball handles the large initial load offline; DMS handles ongoing changes with minimal bandwidth.
D
Use AWS Direct Connect to increase bandwidth and then use DMS for full load and replication.
Why wrong: Direct Connect may not be available or may take time to provision; Snowball is more immediate.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use AWS Snowball to transfer a physical backup to AWS, then use DMS for ongoing replication.

Option C is correct because the 10 TB database size combined with limited network bandwidth makes a direct online migration impractical due to prolonged transfer times. AWS Snowball allows you to physically ship the database backup to AWS, bypassing bandwidth constraints. After loading the backup into Amazon RDS, AWS DMS can perform ongoing change data capture (CDC) replication to synchronize any changes made during the transfer, minimizing downtime.

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.

✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with a full load and ongoing replication to keep the target in sync.
Why it's wrong here
Full load over limited bandwidth may take too long; initial load should be done offline.
✗
Use pg_dump to export the database and pg_restore to import to RDS, then use DMS for replication.
Why it's wrong here
pg_dump/pg_restore requires downtime; not minimal downtime.
✓
Use AWS Snowball to transfer a physical backup to AWS, then use DMS for ongoing replication.
Why this is correct
Snowball handles the large initial load offline; DMS handles ongoing changes with minimal bandwidth.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS Direct Connect to increase bandwidth and then use DMS for full load and replication.
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect may not be available or may take time to provision; Snowball is more immediate.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often assume DMS can handle any data volume over any network, ignoring the practical reality that large datasets (e.g., 10 TB) over limited bandwidth require a physical transfer mechanism like Snowball to avoid days or weeks of migration time.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

AWS Snowball Edge can handle up to 80 TB of data per device, using AES-256 encryption and tamper-resistant hardware. The physical backup is typically a pg_basebackup or a file-level snapshot, which is then restored to an RDS instance using pg_restore or by copying files to an Amazon EBS volume. DMS CDC uses logical replication slots in PostgreSQL to capture changes from the source WAL (Write-Ahead Log) without locking tables, allowing near-zero downtime during the final cutover.

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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.

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.

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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: Use AWS Snowball to transfer a physical backup to AWS, then use DMS for ongoing replication. — Option C is correct because the 10 TB database size combined with limited network bandwidth makes a direct online migration impractical due to prolonged transfer times. AWS Snowball allows you to physically ship the database backup to AWS, bypassing bandwidth constraints. After loading the backup into Amazon RDS, AWS DMS can perform ongoing change data capture (CDC) replication to synchronize any changes made during the transfer, minimizing downtime.

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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

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.