- A
Use AWS Database Migration Service for continuous replication to a separate instance
Why wrong: DMS uses asynchronous replication, leading to higher RPO than 5 seconds.
- B
Create a cross-region read replica and manually update DNS in a disaster
Why wrong: Manual DNS update increases RTO beyond 1 minute.
- C
Take hourly snapshots and restore in another region
Why wrong: Hourly snapshots result in RPO up to 1 hour, not <5 seconds.
- D
Create a cross-region read replica and configure automatic failover using Amazon Route 53 health checks
Automatic failover with health checks can achieve RTO <1 minute and RPO <5 seconds with synchronous replication.
- E
Configure Multi-AZ deployment with a synchronous standby in another AZ
Multi-AZ provides synchronous replication with RPO <5 seconds and automatic failover.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure Multi-AZ deployment with a synchronous standby in another AZ and to use a cross-region read replica with Route 53 health checks for automatic failover. Multi-AZ with synchronous replication achieves an RPO of zero by committing writes to both AZs simultaneously, while failover completes in 30–60 seconds, meeting the sub-minute RTO. The cross-region read replica, though asynchronous, typically has sub-second replication lag, keeping RPO under 5 seconds, and promoting it with Route 53 automatic DNS failover satisfies the RTO. On the AWS DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between synchronous and asynchronous replication for strict RPO/RTO requirements—a common trap is assuming Multi-AZ alone covers cross-region needs, or that read replicas can’t meet low RPO. Remember the mnemonic: “Sync for zero, async for far—Route 53 makes the failover star.”
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 designing a disaster recovery strategy for an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database. They need a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of less than 5 seconds and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of less than 1 minute. Which TWO actions should they take? (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
Create a cross-region read replica and configure automatic failover using Amazon Route 53 health checks
Option D is correct because a cross-region read replica can be promoted to a primary instance in under a minute, and with Amazon Route 53 health checks configured for automatic failover, the DNS update occurs automatically, meeting the RTO of less than 1 minute. The asynchronous replication lag is typically sub-second, achieving an RPO of less than 5 seconds. Option E is correct because a Multi-AZ deployment with a synchronous standby in another Availability Zone provides automatic failover with no data loss (RPO of 0) and failover completes in about 30-60 seconds, satisfying both RPO and RTO requirements.
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 for continuous replication to a separate instance
Why it's wrong here
DMS uses asynchronous replication, leading to higher RPO than 5 seconds.
- ✗
Create a cross-region read replica and manually update DNS in a disaster
Why it's wrong here
Manual DNS update increases RTO beyond 1 minute.
- ✗
Take hourly snapshots and restore in another region
Why it's wrong here
Hourly snapshots result in RPO up to 1 hour, not <5 seconds.
- ✓
Create a cross-region read replica and configure automatic failover using Amazon Route 53 health checks
Why this is correct
Automatic failover with health checks can achieve RTO <1 minute and RPO <5 seconds with synchronous replication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure Multi-AZ deployment with a synchronous standby in another AZ
Why this is correct
Multi-AZ provides synchronous replication with RPO <5 seconds and automatic failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume cross-region read replicas support automatic failover natively, but they do not; you must explicitly configure Route 53 health checks and DNS failover to achieve the required RTO, while Multi-AZ provides automatic failover but only within the same region, not cross-region.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon RDS cross-region read replicas use asynchronous replication based on PostgreSQL's native streaming replication, typically achieving lag in the hundreds of milliseconds. When promoted, the replica becomes a standalone primary instance, and Route 53 health checks can monitor the primary endpoint and automatically update DNS to point to the promoted replica within seconds. Multi-AZ deployments use synchronous replication to a standby in a different Availability Zone, ensuring zero data loss on failover, with failover handled automatically by Amazon RDS via DNS changes and a brief connection interruption of about 30-60 seconds.
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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Workload-Specific Database Design — study guide chapter
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Workload-Specific Database Design practice questions
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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: Create a cross-region read replica and configure automatic failover using Amazon Route 53 health checks — Option D is correct because a cross-region read replica can be promoted to a primary instance in under a minute, and with Amazon Route 53 health checks configured for automatic failover, the DNS update occurs automatically, meeting the RTO of less than 1 minute. The asynchronous replication lag is typically sub-second, achieving an RPO of less than 5 seconds. Option E is correct because a Multi-AZ deployment with a synchronous standby in another Availability Zone provides automatic failover with no data loss (RPO of 0) and failover completes in about 30-60 seconds, satisfying both RPO and RTO requirements.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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