- A
Use the RDS Query Editor to run a flashback query that retrieves the deleted data.
Why wrong: RDS does not support flashback queries; you must restore from backup.
- B
Restore the DB instance from the latest manual snapshot and extract the table.
Why wrong: Manual snapshots could be used, but automated backups allow point-in-time recovery, which is faster if you need the exact time before deletion.
- C
Restore the table from the automated backup using the AWS Management Console table-level restore feature.
Why wrong: RDS does not support table-level restore from automated backups; you must restore the entire DB instance.
- D
Perform a point-in-time restore of the DB instance to a time just before the deletion, then export the table.
Point-in-time restore creates a new DB instance as it was at the specified time, allowing table extraction without affecting the original instance.
How to Recover a Deleted Table from RDS MySQL or PostgreSQL
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 developer accidentally deleted a critical table from an Amazon RDS for MySQL DB instance. Automated backups are enabled with a retention period of 7 days. The deletion occurred 3 hours ago. What is the fastest way to restore the deleted table without affecting other tables?
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
Perform a point-in-time restore of the DB instance to a time just before the deletion, then export the table.
Option D is correct because point-in-time recovery (PITR) allows you to restore the entire DB instance to any second within the automated backup retention period (7 days). By restoring to a time just before the deletion, you can then extract the deleted table using mysqldump or SELECT INTO OUTFILE, and import it back into the original instance. This is the fastest method because it leverages existing automated backups without requiring a manual snapshot or waiting for a full restore of a large 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.
- ✗
Use the RDS Query Editor to run a flashback query that retrieves the deleted data.
Why it's wrong here
RDS does not support flashback queries; you must restore from backup.
- ✗
Restore the DB instance from the latest manual snapshot and extract the table.
Why it's wrong here
Manual snapshots could be used, but automated backups allow point-in-time recovery, which is faster if you need the exact time before deletion.
- ✗
Restore the table from the automated backup using the AWS Management Console table-level restore feature.
Why it's wrong here
RDS does not support table-level restore from automated backups; you must restore the entire DB instance.
- ✓
Perform a point-in-time restore of the DB instance to a time just before the deletion, then export the table.
Why this is correct
Point-in-time restore creates a new DB instance as it was at the specified time, allowing table extraction without affecting the original instance.
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 confuse the table-level restore feature available in Amazon Aurora (via backtrack or cloning) with standard RDS MySQL, which lacks such granularity and requires a full instance restore for point-in-time recovery.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Point-in-time recovery works by replaying binary logs (binlogs) from the last automated backup up to the specified time, effectively creating a new DB instance that reflects the state at that exact moment. For MySQL, the binlog format must be ROW or MIXED to support precise point-in-time recovery; STATEMENT-based logging can cause inconsistencies. In practice, you can use the AWS CLI command 'aws rds restore-db-instance-to-point-in-time' with the '--restore-time' parameter to target a time just before the accidental deletion.
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 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.
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.
- →
Management and Operations — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Management and Operations 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?
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: Perform a point-in-time restore of the DB instance to a time just before the deletion, then export the table. — Option D is correct because point-in-time recovery (PITR) allows you to restore the entire DB instance to any second within the automated backup retention period (7 days). By restoring to a time just before the deletion, you can then extract the deleted table using mysqldump or SELECT INTO OUTFILE, and import it back into the original instance. This is the fastest method because it leverages existing automated backups without requiring a manual snapshot or waiting for a full restore of a large 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.
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
2 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 developer accidentally deleted a critical table from an Amazon RDS for MySQL DB instance. Automated backups are enabled with a retention period of 7 days. The deletion occurred 3 hours ago. Which action can restore the table with minimal data loss?
easy- ✓ A.Perform a point-in-time restore to a time just before the deletion.
- B.Use AWS Database Migration Service to replicate the table from another source.
- C.Restore the DB instance from the latest automated snapshot.
- D.Use the MySQL binary log to replay transactions up to the deletion.
Why A: Option A is correct because Amazon RDS point-in-time recovery (PITR) allows restoring a DB instance to any second within the backup retention period, enabling recovery to just before the table deletion, minimizing data loss. Option B is incorrect because AWS DMS is a migration tool, not a recovery mechanism for deleted data. Option C is incorrect because restoring from the latest automated snapshot would lose all changes made after that snapshot, including the 3 hours of data before deletion. Option D is incorrect because while MySQL binary logs can be used for point-in-time recovery, RDS manages this through its automated PITR feature; manually replaying binary logs is not a supported operation in RDS.
Variation 2. A developer accidentally deleted a table in an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance. The instance has automated backups enabled with a retention period of 7 days. The deletion occurred 2 hours ago. What is the quickest way to recover the table?
easy- ✓ A.Perform a point-in-time recovery to a time just before the deletion.
- B.Use PostgreSQL pg_dump to connect and dump the table from the current instance.
- C.Download the automated backup file from S3 and restore the table.
- D.Restore the DB instance from the latest automated snapshot.
Why A: Option A is correct because point-in-time recovery (PITR) allows restoring the RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance to any time within the 7-day backup retention period. Since the deletion occurred 2 hours ago, you can restore the instance to a time just before the deletion, then connect to the restored instance and extract the deleted table using pg_dump or similar tools. This is the quickest method because it does not require restoring a full snapshot and then applying transaction logs manually. Option B is incorrect because pg_dump cannot export a table that has already been deleted from the current instance. Option C is incorrect because automated backup files are not directly accessible as downloadable files from S3; they are used internally by RDS for PITR. Option D is incorrect because restoring from the latest automated snapshot would not recover the table if the snapshot was taken after the deletion, or if the snapshot includes the deletion state.
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: Jun 11, 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.