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Question 1,306 of 1,730

Management and Operations →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

RDS Proxy for Connection Timeouts

This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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 runs a production Amazon RDS for MySQL DB instance with Multi-AZ. The database is used by a web application. The application team reports that the database is experiencing intermittent connection timeouts and increased latency. The CloudWatch metrics show that the database connections spike to the maximum allowed (max_connections) during peak hours, and the CPU utilization is high. The team needs to resolve the connection issues without modifying the application code. The application uses connection pooling at the application layer. Which action should be taken?

A
Create a read replica and direct read queries to it.
Why wrong: Creating a read replica does not address the connection limit issue; it offloads read queries but does not reduce the number of connections to the primary instance. The problem is connection timeouts due to max_connections being reached, so read replicas do not help with that.
B
Deploy an Amazon RDS Proxy in front of the DB instance.
Amazon RDS Proxy efficiently manages connection pooling, reducing the number of connections to the database and lowering CPU overhead, thus resolving connection timeouts without code changes.
C
Increase the 'max_connections' parameter to allow more connections.
Why wrong: Increasing the max_connections parameter may temporarily alleviate the connection limit but can lead to resource exhaustion and increased CPU usage, making the problem worse. It also does not address the root cause of connection spikes.
D
Change the DB instance class to a smaller size to reduce the maximum connections.
Why wrong: Changing to a smaller instance class would reduce maximum connections and CPU capacity, exacerbating the problem.

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

✓

Deploy an Amazon RDS Proxy in front of the DB instance.

Option B is correct because RDS Proxy manages connection pooling efficiently, reducing the number of connections to the database and lowering CPU overhead. Option A is wrong because read replicas do not reduce write connection load. Option C is wrong because increasing max_connections may lead to resource exhaustion. Option D is wrong because switching to a smaller instance would worsen the problem.

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.

✗
Create a read replica and direct read queries to it.
Why it's wrong here
Creating a read replica does not address the connection limit issue; it offloads read queries but does not reduce the number of connections to the primary instance. The problem is connection timeouts due to max_connections being reached, so read replicas do not help with that.
✓
Deploy an Amazon RDS Proxy in front of the DB instance.
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS Proxy efficiently manages connection pooling, reducing the number of connections to the database and lowering CPU overhead, thus resolving connection timeouts without code changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the 'max_connections' parameter to allow more connections.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the max_connections parameter may temporarily alleviate the connection limit but can lead to resource exhaustion and increased CPU usage, making the problem worse. It also does not address the root cause of connection spikes.
✗
Change the DB instance class to a smaller size to reduce the maximum connections.
Why it's wrong here
Changing to a smaller instance class would reduce maximum connections and CPU capacity, exacerbating the problem.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

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

How to think about this question

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.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.

Visual reference

Quick reference

OSI Model Reference

Layer	Name	PDU	Key Protocols / Devices
7	Application	Data	HTTP, HTTPS, DNS, SMTP, FTP, SSH
6	Presentation	Data	TLS / SSL, JPEG, ASCII encoding
5	Session	Data	NetBIOS, RPC, SIP
4	Transport	Segment / Datagram	TCP, UDP
3	Network	Packet	IP, ICMP, OSPF — Routers
2	Data Link	Frame	Ethernet, Wi-Fi, PPP — Switches, Bridges
1	Physical	Bits	Cables, NICs, Hubs, Repeaters

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

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

Questions learners often ask

What does this DBS-C01 question test?

Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Deploy an Amazon RDS Proxy in front of the DB instance. — Option B is correct because RDS Proxy manages connection pooling efficiently, reducing the number of connections to the database and lowering CPU overhead. Option A is wrong because read replicas do not reduce write connection load. Option C is wrong because increasing max_connections may lead to resource exhaustion. Option D is wrong because switching to a smaller instance would worsen the problem.

What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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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.