The answer is to set up a CloudWatch alarm on the FreeStorageSpace metric to notify when space is low. This is correct because Amazon RDS continuously publishes the FreeStorageSpace metric to CloudWatch, allowing you to define a threshold alarm that triggers an SNS notification before storage exhaustion occurs, enabling proactive intervention rather than reactive resizing. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of monitoring versus scaling: the trap is choosing to increase storage immediately (a reactive fix) instead of establishing a monitoring baseline first. Performance Insights is a distractor focused on query performance, not capacity tracking, and automated backups do not consume instance storage directly. A helpful memory tip is “Alarm before you arm”—set the CloudWatch alarm on free space before you need to scale up storage.
DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 database administrator notices that the free storage space on an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance is decreasing rapidly. The instance has automated backups enabled with a retention period of 7 days. Which action should be taken to monitor storage usage and prevent running out of space?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set up a CloudWatch alarm on the FreeStorageSpace metric to notify when space is low.
Option B is correct because CloudWatch metrics provide real-time tracking of FreeStorageSpace. Option A is wrong because increasing storage is reactive, not proactive. Option C is wrong because RDS manages backups separately and does not use S3 for instance storage. Option D is wrong because Performance Insights is for performance metrics, not storage monitoring.
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.
✗
Create a lifecycle policy to automatically move old backup files to Amazon S3 Glacier.
Why it's wrong here
RDS automated backups are stored internally and cannot be moved to S3 Glacier directly.
✓
Set up a CloudWatch alarm on the FreeStorageSpace metric to notify when space is low.
Why this is correct
CloudWatch alarms provide proactive monitoring and alerting for storage usage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the allocated storage for the DB instance immediately.
Why it's wrong here
This is a reactive action; monitoring should be implemented first to understand the trend.
✗
Enable Performance Insights to track storage usage.
Why it's wrong here
Performance Insights tracks database performance, not storage metrics.
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.
Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set up a CloudWatch alarm on the FreeStorageSpace metric to notify when space is low. — Option B is correct because CloudWatch metrics provide real-time tracking of FreeStorageSpace. Option A is wrong because increasing storage is reactive, not proactive. Option C is wrong because RDS manages backups separately and does not use S3 for instance storage. Option D is wrong because Performance Insights is for performance metrics, not storage monitoring.
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.