The answer is enabling Multi-AZ for high availability and using read replicas to offload read traffic. Multi-AZ provides automatic failover to a standby replica in a different Availability Zone, ensuring database resilience during infrastructure failures, while read replicas improve performance for read-heavy workloads by creating additional read-only endpoints that reduce load on the primary instance. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of the distinct roles: Multi-AZ is for availability and disaster recovery, whereas read replicas are for scaling read capacity and can even be promoted to a primary in a different region. A common trap is confusing Multi-AZ with read replicas for performance—remember that Multi-AZ does not serve read traffic. For a quick memory tip: think "Multi-AZ for uptime, read replicas for runtime."
DBS-C01 Workload-Specific Database Design Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of workload-specific database design. 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.
Which TWO of the following are recommended best practices for designing a relational database on Amazon RDS? (Select TWO.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use read replicas to scale read-heavy workloads
Amazon RDS read replicas offload read traffic from the primary DB instance, improving performance for read-heavy workloads by providing additional read-only endpoints. This is a core best practice for scaling read capacity without increasing load on the source 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 read replicas to scale read-heavy workloads
Why this is correct
Read replicas offload read traffic.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use LOB data types to store large text fields
Why it's wrong here
Can cause performance issues; consider separate storage.
✗
Use non-EBS-optimized instances to reduce costs
Why it's wrong here
EBS-optimized instances provide dedicated bandwidth.
✓
Enable Multi-AZ for high availability
Why this is correct
Multi-AZ provides automatic failover.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Store large binary objects (BLOBs) in the database
Why it's wrong here
Store in S3 and reference by URL.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Multi-AZ (which provides high availability) with read replicas (which provide read scaling), or mistakenly believe that storing BLOBs in the database is acceptable for performance, ignoring the impact on backup and replication overhead.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
RDS read replicas use MySQL, PostgreSQL, or MariaDB native asynchronous replication to maintain a consistent copy of the database, and can be promoted to standalone instances in disaster recovery scenarios. Multi-AZ deployments synchronously replicate data to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone, providing automatic failover with minimal downtime during planned or unplanned outages.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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.
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: Use read replicas to scale read-heavy workloads — Amazon RDS read replicas offload read traffic from the primary DB instance, improving performance for read-heavy workloads by providing additional read-only endpoints. This is a core best practice for scaling read capacity without increasing load on the source 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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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.
Question Discussion
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