The answer is FreeableMemory, because this CloudWatch metric directly reveals the amount of available RAM on the instance, and when it drops to very low levels, it signals memory pressure that forces the operating system to swap data to disk, severely degrading query performance. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between metrics that measure memory versus those measuring CPU, connections, or I/O—a common trap is to confuse high ReadIOPS with memory issues, but slow queries with low FreeableMemory point squarely to insufficient RAM. Remember the mnemonic: “FreeableMemory frees your queries from swapping.”
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 company is experiencing slow query performance on an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance. The DB instance is a db.r5.large with 16 GB RAM and 500 GB gp2 storage. Which metric in Amazon CloudWatch would most directly help identify if the performance issue is due to memory pressure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Monitor FreeableMemory to see if available memory is low.
FreeableMemory shows the amount of available RAM. Low FreeableMemory indicates memory pressure, which can cause swapping and slow queries. Option A is wrong because CPUUtilization measures CPU, not memory. Option B is wrong because DatabaseConnections tracks connections, not memory. Option C is wrong because ReadIOPS measures I/O operations, not memory.
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.
✓
Monitor FreeableMemory to see if available memory is low.
Why this is correct
FreeableMemory directly indicates the amount of available RAM.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Monitor ReadIOPS to see if there is a high I/O rate due to swapping.
Why it's wrong here
ReadIOPS indicates I/O activity, not memory pressure directly.
✗
Monitor DatabaseConnections to check for a high number of connections consuming memory.
Why it's wrong here
While connections use memory, FreeableMemory is the direct metric for available memory.
✗
Monitor CPUUtilization to check for high CPU usage.
Why it's wrong here
CPU utilization indicates processor load, not memory pressure.
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: Monitor FreeableMemory to see if available memory is low. — FreeableMemory shows the amount of available RAM. Low FreeableMemory indicates memory pressure, which can cause swapping and slow queries. Option A is wrong because CPUUtilization measures CPU, not memory. Option B is wrong because DatabaseConnections tracks connections, not memory. Option C is wrong because ReadIOPS measures I/O operations, not memory.
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.
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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.
Question Discussion
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