- A
Specify an AWS KMS key when creating the RDS instance.
RDS encryption uses KMS keys and must be set at creation.
- B
Modify the existing RDS instance to enable encryption.
Why wrong: Cannot enable encryption on an existing instance; must restore from snapshot.
- C
Enable encryption by default in the RDS console.
Why wrong: Encryption at rest is not enabled by default; must be explicitly specified.
- D
Enable encryption using S3 server-side encryption.
Why wrong: S3 SSE is not applicable to RDS; use RDS encryption with KMS.
Question 1,386 of 1,730
DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. 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 company is deploying Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL and needs to ensure that all data at rest is encrypted. Which action should be taken to enable encryption?
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
✓
Specify an AWS KMS key when creating the RDS instance.
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL supports encryption at rest using AWS Key Management Service (KMS). Encryption must be enabled at instance creation time by specifying an AWS KMS key; it cannot be enabled on an existing unencrypted instance. This ensures that the underlying storage, automated backups, read replicas, and snapshots are encrypted using the chosen KMS key.
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.
- ✓
Specify an AWS KMS key when creating the RDS instance.
Why this is correct
RDS encryption uses KMS keys and must be set at creation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Modify the existing RDS instance to enable encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Cannot enable encryption on an existing instance; must restore from snapshot.
- ✗
Enable encryption by default in the RDS console.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption at rest is not enabled by default; must be explicitly specified.
- ✗
Enable encryption using S3 server-side encryption.
Why it's wrong here
S3 SSE is not applicable to RDS; use RDS encryption with KMS.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume encryption can be toggled on after creation (like enabling encryption on an existing EBS volume), but RDS requires encryption to be set at launch time, and modifying an existing instance does not offer this option.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When you enable encryption for an RDS PostgreSQL instance, RDS encrypts the underlying EBS volumes, automated backups, and snapshots using AES-256 encryption with a KMS key. The encryption is transparent to the database engine and does not affect performance for most workloads. A subtle behavior is that read replicas of an encrypted instance must use the same KMS key or a different key in the same region, and cross-region read replicas require a separate KMS key in the destination region.
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: Specify an AWS KMS key when creating the RDS instance. — Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL supports encryption at rest using AWS Key Management Service (KMS). Encryption must be enabled at instance creation time by specifying an AWS KMS key; it cannot be enabled on an existing unencrypted instance. This ensures that the underlying storage, automated backups, read replicas, and snapshots are encrypted using the chosen KMS key.
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: Jul 4, 2026
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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