- A
Amazon RDS Performance Insights
Performance Insights helps identify and analyze slow queries.
- B
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config tracks resource configuration, not database performance.
- C
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Slow query logs can be published to CloudWatch Logs for monitoring.
- D
Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring
Why wrong: Enhanced Monitoring provides OS metrics, not slow query analysis.
- E
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not database queries.
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 company is using Amazon RDS for MariaDB. The database administrator wants to monitor the database for slow queries. Which TWO services can be used to achieve this? (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
Amazon RDS Performance Insights
Amazon RDS Performance Insights (Option A) is correct because it provides a database performance tuning and monitoring feature that visualizes database load and allows you to identify and analyze slow queries by filtering on SQL statements, waits, and hosts. Amazon CloudWatch Logs (Option C) is correct because you can enable the slow query log for MariaDB and publish those logs to CloudWatch Logs, then use CloudWatch Logs Insights to query and filter for slow queries based on execution time.
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.
- ✓
Amazon RDS Performance Insights
Why this is correct
Performance Insights helps identify and analyze slow queries.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config tracks resource configuration, not database performance.
- ✓
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
Slow query logs can be published to CloudWatch Logs for monitoring.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring
Why it's wrong here
Enhanced Monitoring provides OS metrics, not slow query analysis.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not database queries.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Enhanced Monitoring (OS-level metrics) with Performance Insights (database-level query analysis) or assume CloudTrail can capture database queries, when in fact CloudTrail only records AWS API calls, not SQL statements.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Performance Insights uses a 'db.load.avg' metric based on Average Active Sessions (AAS) and can break down load by SQL digest, host, or user, making it ideal for identifying queries consuming the most database resources. The slow query log in MariaDB is controlled by the 'long_query_time' parameter (default 10 seconds) and can be sent to CloudWatch Logs by enabling the 'logs' option in the DB parameter group and setting the 'slow_query_log' parameter to 1; CloudWatch Logs Insights then allows you to run queries like 'fields @timestamp, @message | filter @message like /Query_time/' to isolate slow queries.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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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Management and Operations — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
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: Amazon RDS Performance Insights — Amazon RDS Performance Insights (Option A) is correct because it provides a database performance tuning and monitoring feature that visualizes database load and allows you to identify and analyze slow queries by filtering on SQL statements, waits, and hosts. Amazon CloudWatch Logs (Option C) is correct because you can enable the slow query log for MariaDB and publish those logs to CloudWatch Logs, then use CloudWatch Logs Insights to query and filter for slow queries based on execution time.
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
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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