The correct answer is Multi-AZ deployment and Read Replicas. Multi-AZ deployment provides high availability by automatically provisioning a synchronous standby instance in a different Availability Zone, ensuring automatic failover with zero data loss if the primary fails. Read replicas offload read traffic by creating asynchronous copies of the database that can serve SELECT queries independently, reducing load on the primary. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between availability and scalability features—a common trap is confusing Multi-AZ (which does not serve reads) with Read Replicas (which do not provide automatic failover). Remember the mnemonic: Multi-AZ for availability, Read Replicas for readability.
DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. 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 company is deploying a new application using Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. They require high availability with automatic failover and the ability to offload read traffic. Which TWO features should they enable? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Multi-AZ deployment
Multi-AZ deployment (Option A) provides high availability by automatically provisioning and maintaining a synchronous standby replica in a different Availability Zone. If the primary DB instance fails, Amazon RDS automatically fails over to the standby, ensuring minimal downtime. Read replicas (Option B) offload read traffic by creating asynchronous copies of the database that can serve read queries, reducing load on the primary instance.
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.
✓
Multi-AZ deployment
Why this is correct
Multi-AZ provides automatic failover to a standby in another Availability Zone.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Read replicas
Why this is correct
Read replicas offload read traffic from the primary instance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Performance Insights
Why it's wrong here
Performance Insights is a monitoring tool, not for high availability.
✗
Global Database
Why it's wrong here
Global Database is a feature of Amazon Aurora, not RDS PostgreSQL.
✗
Auto Scaling for read replicas
Why it's wrong here
RDS PostgreSQL does not support Auto Scaling for read replicas; it must be manually added.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Multi-AZ with read replicas, thinking they serve the same purpose, or incorrectly assume that Global Database or Auto Scaling for read replicas are available for standard RDS PostgreSQL, when they are either Aurora-specific or not supported.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Multi-AZ for RDS PostgreSQL uses synchronous replication to the standby instance, ensuring zero data loss during failover (asynchronous replication is used for cross-Region disaster recovery). Read replicas use PostgreSQL's native streaming replication protocol, which can lag behind the primary; they can be promoted to standalone instances if needed. In a real-world scenario, combining Multi-AZ for high availability with read replicas for read scaling is a common pattern for production workloads requiring both resilience and performance.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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 — 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: Multi-AZ deployment — Multi-AZ deployment (Option A) provides high availability by automatically provisioning and maintaining a synchronous standby replica in a different Availability Zone. If the primary DB instance fails, Amazon RDS automatically fails over to the standby, ensuring minimal downtime. Read replicas (Option B) offload read traffic by creating asynchronous copies of the database that can serve read queries, reducing load on the primary instance.
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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Question Discussion
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