- A
Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) to convert the schema, then use AWS DMS for full load only.
Why wrong: SCT is for schema conversion, not needed. Full load only does not minimize downtime.
- B
Create an RDS read replica in the same region and promote it.
Why wrong: Read replica is for within AWS, not for on-premises migration.
- C
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication from the source database.
DMS with ongoing replication enables continuous sync and minimal downtime.
- D
Export the database to a dump file using Oracle Data Pump, upload to S3, and restore to RDS.
Why wrong: Export/import causes significant downtime.
Question 194 of 1,730
Migrating Oracle to Amazon RDS for Oracle Using AWS DMS and CDC
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. 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 an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The database is 5 TB in size and has a daily change rate of 2%. The migration must have minimal downtime. Which migration strategy should be used?
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 ongoing replication from the source database.
Option C is correct because AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture, CDC) allows a full load of the 5 TB database followed by continuous replication of the 2% daily changes, minimizing downtime by keeping the target RDS instance nearly synchronized until cutover. This approach handles large databases and high change rates without requiring a lengthy final export/import window.
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 Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) to convert the schema, then use AWS DMS for full load only.
Why it's wrong here
SCT is for schema conversion, not needed. Full load only does not minimize downtime.
- ✗
Create an RDS read replica in the same region and promote it.
Why it's wrong here
Read replica is for within AWS, not for on-premises migration.
- ✓
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication from the source database.
Why this is correct
DMS with ongoing replication enables continuous sync and minimal downtime.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Export the database to a dump file using Oracle Data Pump, upload to S3, and restore to RDS.
Why it's wrong here
Export/import causes significant downtime.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse RDS read replicas (which are only for RDS-to-RDS replication) with cross-database replication, or assume that a full load plus manual catch-up is sufficient for minimal downtime, ignoring the need for continuous CDC to handle ongoing changes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS DMS uses Oracle LogMiner or binary reader to capture changes from the source Oracle redo logs for CDC, enabling near-real-time replication with sub-second latency. For a 5 TB database, the full load phase can be parallelized using multiple DMS tasks and table mappings, while CDC ensures that only the final cutover window (often seconds to minutes) is needed to stop writes and promote the target.
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.
- →
Deployment and Migration — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Deployment and Migration practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DBS-C01 questions
1,730 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DBS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DBS-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Workload-Specific Database Design practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Workload-Specific Database Design.
Deployment and Migration practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Deployment and Migration.
Management and Operations practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Management and Operations.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Monitoring and Troubleshooting.
Database Security practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Database Security.
DBS-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 fundamentals.
DBS-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 scenario.
DBS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DBS-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
Deployment and Migration — This question tests Deployment and Migration — 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 ongoing replication from the source database. — Option C is correct because AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture, CDC) allows a full load of the 5 TB database followed by continuous replication of the 2% daily changes, minimizing downtime by keeping the target RDS instance nearly synchronized until cutover. This approach handles large databases and high change rates without requiring a lengthy final export/import window.
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
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 →
Same concept, more angles
3 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 Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The database is 2 TB in size and has a high transaction rate. The migration must have minimal downtime and support ongoing replication. Which AWS service should be used for the migration?
hard- A.AWS Schema Conversion Tool (AWS SCT)
- ✓ B.AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS)
- C.AWS Direct Connect
- D.Amazon RDS Read Replica
Why B: AWS DMS is the correct service because it supports ongoing replication (change data capture) from an on-premises Oracle source to Amazon RDS for Oracle, enabling a migration with minimal downtime. It can handle a 2 TB database by using a full load followed by continuous replication of transactions, and it supports Oracle-specific features like supplemental logging and LogMiner for CDC.
Variation 2. A company is migrating an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The database is 1 TB and has a large number of stored procedures and triggers. The migration must minimize application changes. Which migration approach should be used?
medium- A.Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (AWS SCT) to convert the schema and AWS DMS for data migration
- ✓ B.Use AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) with full load and ongoing replication
- C.Use Oracle Data Pump (expdp/impdp) to export and import the database
- D.Use AWS S3 to store the data and AWS Glue to transform and load into RDS
Why B: Option B is correct because AWS DMS with full load and ongoing replication minimizes application changes by supporting heterogeneous migrations with minimal downtime, and it can handle stored procedures and triggers by replicating data changes in near real-time without requiring schema conversion. AWS DMS directly supports Oracle as a source and Amazon RDS for Oracle as a target, preserving the existing schema and procedural logic, which avoids the need for application rewrites.
Variation 3. A company is migrating an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The database uses Oracle Data Pump for export/import. The migration must be completed within a short maintenance window. Which migration approach should they use?
medium- A.Use AWS Snowball to transfer the database files to AWS and then restore to RDS.
- ✓ B.Use AWS Database Migration Service with full load and change data capture (CDC).
- C.Use Oracle Data Pump to export the database and import into RDS.
- D.Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) to convert the schema and then use DMS for data migration.
Why B: AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with full load and change data capture (CDC) is the correct approach because it minimizes downtime by performing an initial full load of the Oracle database and then continuously replicating ongoing changes until the cutover, allowing the migration to complete within a short maintenance window. Unlike Oracle Data Pump, which requires the source database to be offline during export/import, DMS with CDC keeps the source operational and only requires a brief outage at final cutover.
Keep practising
More DBS-C01 practice questions
- A company is deploying a new application on Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The security policy requires that all data be enc…
- Match each AWS service to its primary purpose.
- A financial services company runs a production Amazon Aurora MySQL database cluster (1 writer, 2 readers) in us-east-1.…
- A company is designing a database for a global e-commerce platform that requires low-latency reads and writes from multi…
- A security auditor reviews the output of a DynamoDB table description command as shown in the exhibit. Which statement a…
- A company is migrating an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The database contains sensitive data tha…
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.
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.