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Workload-Specific Database Design →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

MySQL to Aurora Migration

This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. 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 migrating its on-premises MySQL database to Amazon Aurora MySQL. The current database has a table of 500 GB that is accessed by a nightly batch job that updates 80% of the rows. The company wants to minimize downtime during migration. Which migration strategy is MOST appropriate?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

A
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with Aurora as the target.
DMS allows ongoing replication, minimizing downtime.
B
Create an Aurora read replica from the on-premises database.
Why wrong: Aurora read replicas cannot be created from on-premises databases.
C
Export the data to Amazon S3 and load it into Aurora using the LOAD DATA FROM S3 command.
Why wrong: Not designed for minimal downtime migration; requires manual steps.
D
Use mysqldump to export the database and import it into Aurora.
Why wrong: Requires significant downtime during dump and restore.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with Aurora as the target.

AWS DMS supports ongoing replication from an on-premises MySQL source to Amazon Aurora MySQL, allowing the nightly batch job to continue running during the initial full load. After the full load completes, DMS captures incremental changes and applies them to Aurora, enabling a cutover with minimal downtime. This approach is ideal for large tables (500 GB) with high update volumes because it avoids a lengthy offline export/import process.

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.

✓
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with Aurora as the target.
Why this is correct
DMS allows ongoing replication, minimizing downtime.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create an Aurora read replica from the on-premises database.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora read replicas cannot be created from on-premises databases.
✗
Export the data to Amazon S3 and load it into Aurora using the LOAD DATA FROM S3 command.
Why it's wrong here
Not designed for minimal downtime migration; requires manual steps.
✗
Use mysqldump to export the database and import it into Aurora.
Why it's wrong here
Requires significant downtime during dump and restore.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often assume mysqldump or S3 export are faster for large datasets, but they overlook the need for minimal downtime and the ability to keep the batch job running, which DMS’s CDC capability uniquely addresses.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

AWS DMS uses a change data capture (CDC) mechanism based on MySQL binary logs (binlog) to replicate ongoing transactions with minimal latency. During the full load phase, DMS can parallelize table loading by splitting large tables into segments, which is critical for a 500 GB table. The target Aurora cluster can be configured with multiple DB instances to handle the write load from the batch job while DMS applies changes, ensuring consistency via transaction-level ordering.

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 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 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?

Workload-Specific Database Design — This question tests Workload-Specific Database Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with Aurora as the target. — AWS DMS supports ongoing replication from an on-premises MySQL source to Amazon Aurora MySQL, allowing the nightly batch job to continue running during the initial full load. After the full load completes, DMS captures incremental changes and applies them to Aurora, enabling a cutover with minimal downtime. This approach is ideal for large tables (500 GB) with high update volumes because it avoids a lengthy offline export/import process.

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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on DBS-C01

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A company is migrating an on-premises MySQL database to Amazon Aurora MySQL. The database is 2 TB and the migration must have minimal downtime. The network bandwidth between the on-premises data center and AWS is 1 Gbps. Which migration approach is most appropriate?

medium

A.Use mysqldump to export the data, upload to Amazon S3, and import into Aurora
B.Take a snapshot of the on-premises database and restore it to Aurora
C.Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer the data physically to AWS
✓ D.Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to keep the target in sync

Why D: AWS DMS with ongoing replication is the most appropriate approach because it allows a full load of the 2 TB database followed by continuous change data capture (CDC) to keep the target Aurora MySQL cluster in sync with minimal downtime. At 1 Gbps, the initial load would take approximately 5–6 hours, but the CDC phase reduces the final cutover downtime to seconds or minutes, meeting the minimal downtime requirement.

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