- A
Enable encryption at rest using AWS KMS.
Why wrong: Encryption is for security, not HA or DR.
- B
Deploy a Multi-AZ instance in multiple regions.
Why wrong: RDS does not support Multi-Region Multi-AZ.
- C
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 35 days.
Why wrong: Backups are for recovery, not cross-region DR.
- D
Create a cross-region read replica.
Provides disaster recovery in another region.
- E
Enable Multi-AZ for automatic failover within a region.
Provides high availability within a region.
Question 1,691 of 1,730
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 deploying a new MySQL database on Amazon RDS. The database must be highly available and support cross-Region disaster recovery. Which TWO actions should be taken? (Choose two.)
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
✓
Create a cross-region read replica.
Option D is correct because a cross-region read replica provides a secondary copy of the database in a different AWS Region, which can be promoted to a standalone primary in a disaster scenario, enabling cross-Region disaster recovery. Option E is correct because Multi-AZ deployment provides automatic failover within a single region by synchronously replicating data to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone, ensuring high availability. Together, these two actions satisfy both high availability (within-region failover) and cross-Region DR requirements.
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.
- ✗
Enable encryption at rest using AWS KMS.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption is for security, not HA or DR.
- ✗
Deploy a Multi-AZ instance in multiple regions.
Why it's wrong here
RDS does not support Multi-Region Multi-AZ.
- ✗
Enable automated backups with a retention period of 35 days.
Why it's wrong here
Backups are for recovery, not cross-region DR.
- ✓
Create a cross-region read replica.
Why this is correct
Provides disaster recovery in another region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Enable Multi-AZ for automatic failover within a region.
Why this is correct
Provides high availability within a region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Multi-AZ with cross-region replication, thinking that Multi-AZ can be deployed across regions (Option B), or they overlook that automated backups (Option C) are region-bound and do not provide automatic failover or cross-Region DR.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A cross-region read replica uses asynchronous replication (based on MySQL's native binlog replication) to maintain a lag of typically seconds to minutes, which is acceptable for DR but not for synchronous failover. Multi-AZ deployments use synchronous replication to a standby in a different AZ, ensuring zero data loss during failover (RPO of 0) and automatic failover within 60-120 seconds. In a real-world scenario, a company might combine Multi-AZ for local HA and a cross-region read replica for DR, promoting the replica only if the entire primary region fails.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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: Create a cross-region read replica. — Option D is correct because a cross-region read replica provides a secondary copy of the database in a different AWS Region, which can be promoted to a standalone primary in a disaster scenario, enabling cross-Region disaster recovery. Option E is correct because Multi-AZ deployment provides automatic failover within a single region by synchronously replicating data to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone, ensuring high availability. Together, these two actions satisfy both high availability (within-region failover) and cross-Region DR requirements.
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
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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