The answer is to increase the size of the DMS replication instance. When a DMS migration task fails with an 'insufficient memory' error, it means the replication instance—the compute resource that performs the data movement—has run out of memory to handle the volume of changes or large transactions being captured. Scaling up the replication instance class provides more memory and CPU, directly resolving the bottleneck. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding that DMS operates on its own dedicated instance, not the source or target databases; a common trap is to assume the target RDS instance needs more memory, but the error originates from the DMS engine itself. Remember the mnemonic: “DMS memory means DMS instance—don’t touch the source or target.”
DBS-C01 Monitoring and Troubleshooting Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and troubleshooting. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 developer is using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to migrate a database from on-premises to Amazon RDS. The migration task is failing with 'Insufficient memory' error. Which resource should be increased to resolve this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the size of the DMS replication instance.
Option A is correct because the DMS replication instance may have insufficient memory. Increasing its size provides more memory. Option B is wrong because source database memory is not controlled by DMS. Option C is wrong because target RDS instance memory may not be the bottleneck. Option D is wrong because S3 is not involved in the DMS process by default.
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.
✓
Increase the size of the DMS replication instance.
Why this is correct
Correct. A larger replication instance provides more memory for data processing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the memory on the source database.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The source database memory is outside AWS control.
✗
Increase the Amazon S3 bucket size for staging.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. S3 is not the cause of the memory error.
✗
Increase the memory on the target RDS instance.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The error is from DMS, not the target.
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.
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.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting — This question tests Monitoring and Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the size of the DMS replication instance. — Option A is correct because the DMS replication instance may have insufficient memory. Increasing its size provides more memory. Option B is wrong because source database memory is not controlled by DMS. Option C is wrong because target RDS instance memory may not be the bottleneck. Option D is wrong because S3 is not involved in the DMS process by default.
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 →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.