DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are advantages of using Amazon Aurora over standard RDS for MySQL?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the number of read replicas supported by RDS for MySQL (which is 15, not 5) and assume Aurora's higher replica count is a unique advantage, while in fact both services support the same limit.
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
✓
Aurora can deliver up to 5x the throughput of standard MySQL on the same hardware.
Amazon Aurora uses a distributed, SSD-backed storage subsystem that separates compute from storage, enabling it to deliver up to 5x the throughput of standard MySQL running on the same hardware. This performance gain comes from the Aurora storage engine's ability to reduce I/O operations and parallelize writes across multiple storage nodes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Aurora automatically fails over to a read replica in case of primary failure.
Why it's wrong here
Standard RDS Multi-AZ also provides automatic failover.
- ✗
Aurora is compatible with PostgreSQL, so you can migrate from SQL Server easily.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora has a PostgreSQL-compatible edition, but migration from SQL Server is not straightforward.
- ✓
Aurora can deliver up to 5x the throughput of standard MySQL on the same hardware.
Why this is correct
Aurora's architecture provides significant performance improvements.
- ✗
Aurora supports up to 15 read replicas, while RDS for MySQL only supports 5.
Why it's wrong here
Standard RDS for MySQL also supports up to 15 read replicas.
- ✓
Aurora provides higher durability with 6 copies of data across 3 AZs.
Why this is correct
Aurora automatically replicates data across multiple AZs and storage nodes.
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