Quick Answer
The correct answer is FreeStorageSpace because this Amazon CloudWatch metric directly reports the remaining available storage on an RDS instance, making it the essential measure for troubleshooting unexpected storage consumption. When a database administrator monitors RDS storage usage, FreeStorageSpace reveals how much capacity is left before the instance runs out of space, allowing proactive scaling or cleanup. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish storage metrics from performance or connectivity metrics—a common trap is confusing FreeStorageSpace with IOPS or connection counts, which address different operational concerns. Remember that storage troubleshooting always starts with capacity, not throughput or access. A useful memory tip: think of FreeStorageSpace as your gas gauge—it tells you how much fuel remains, not how fast you’re driving or how many passengers are aboard.
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 database administrator notices that an Amazon RDS for MySQL DB instance is using more storage than expected. Which metric should be monitored to troubleshoot storage usage?
FreeStorageSpace
FreeStorageSpace shows remaining storage, helping identify usage trends.
DatabaseConnections
Why wrong: DatabaseConnections does not reflect storage usage.
ReadIOPS
Why wrong: ReadIOPS indicates I/O performance, not storage consumption.
NetworkThroughput
Why wrong: NetworkThroughput measures data transfer, not storage.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
FreeStorageSpace
Option B is correct because FreeStorageSpace indicates remaining capacity. Option A is wrong because DatabaseConnections is about connections. Option C is wrong because ReadIOPS measures I/O operations. Option D is wrong because NetworkThroughput measures network traffic.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
FreeStorageSpace
Why this is correct
FreeStorageSpace shows remaining storage, helping identify usage trends.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
DatabaseConnections
Why it's wrong here
DatabaseConnections does not reflect storage usage.
ReadIOPS
Why it's wrong here
ReadIOPS indicates I/O performance, not storage consumption.
NetworkThroughput
Why it's wrong here
NetworkThroughput measures data transfer, not storage.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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.
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FAQ
Monitoring and Troubleshooting — This question tests Monitoring and Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: FreeStorageSpace — Option B is correct because FreeStorageSpace indicates remaining capacity. Option A is wrong because DatabaseConnections is about connections. Option C is wrong because ReadIOPS measures I/O operations. Option D is wrong because NetworkThroughput measures network traffic.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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