← DVA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 1,324 of 1,616

Deployment →hardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Minimize Downtime During Resource Replacement in CloudFormation

This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. A key principle to apply: deletionPolicy. 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 uses AWS CloudFormation to manage infrastructure. They need to update a stack that includes an Amazon RDS DB instance. To minimize downtime, they want to perform a rolling update. Which THREE properties must be set in the CloudFormation template?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

A
CreationPolicy attribute with ResourceSignal
Why wrong: CreationPolicy with ResourceSignal is used for EC2 instances, not RDS. It is not applicable to RDS DB instances.
B
UpdatePolicy attribute with AutoScalingReplacingUpdate
Why wrong: UpdatePolicy with AutoScalingReplacingUpdate is used for Auto Scaling groups, not RDS.
C
UpdatePolicy attribute with AutoScalingRollingUpdate
Why wrong: UpdatePolicy with AutoScalingRollingUpdate is used for Auto Scaling groups, not RDS.
D
DeletionPolicy attribute set to Snapshot
DeletionPolicy set to Snapshot is valid for RDS and ensures a final snapshot is taken before deletion, preserving data during replacement updates.
E
UpdatePolicy attribute with UseOnlineResizing
Why wrong: UseOnlineResizing is not a valid CloudFormation attribute.

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

✓

DeletionPolicy attribute set to Snapshot

Rolling updates are not supported for AWS::RDS::DBInstance in CloudFormation. Instead, to minimize downtime during an RDS update, you should use a replacement update strategy with the DeletionPolicy attribute set to Snapshot to preserve data from the old instance. Options A, B, and C apply to Auto Scaling groups, not RDS. Option E (UseOnlineResizing) is not a valid CloudFormation attribute.

Key principle: DeletionPolicy

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
CreationPolicy attribute with ResourceSignal
Why it's wrong here
CreationPolicy with ResourceSignal is used for EC2 instances, not RDS. It is not applicable to RDS DB instances.
✗
UpdatePolicy attribute with AutoScalingReplacingUpdate
Why it's wrong here
UpdatePolicy with AutoScalingReplacingUpdate is used for Auto Scaling groups, not RDS.
✗
UpdatePolicy attribute with AutoScalingRollingUpdate
Why it's wrong here
UpdatePolicy with AutoScalingRollingUpdate is used for Auto Scaling groups, not RDS.
✓
DeletionPolicy attribute set to Snapshot
Why this is correct
DeletionPolicy set to Snapshot is valid for RDS and ensures a final snapshot is taken before deletion, preserving data during replacement updates.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
DeletionPolicy
✗
UpdatePolicy attribute with UseOnlineResizing
Why it's wrong here
UseOnlineResizing is not a valid CloudFormation attribute.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates assume AutoScalingRollingUpdate alone is sufficient for RDS rolling updates, but CloudFormation requires the CreationPolicy with ResourceSignal to orchestrate the wait-for-healthy behavior, and they may confuse AutoScalingReplacingUpdate (for ASG) with the correct rolling update policy.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

The UpdatePolicy with AutoScalingRollingUpdate controls the batch size, pause time, and min/max instance counts during a rolling update, but for RDS, CloudFormation actually uses a 'replace' update (creating a new DB instance) rather than an in-place rolling update. The CreationPolicy with ResourceSignal is critical because CloudFormation waits for a success signal (e.g., from a cfn-signal script) before proceeding to the next batch, ensuring the new DB instance is fully initialized and accepting connections before the old one is deleted. In practice, for RDS, you often combine this with a custom resource or Lambda function to send the signal after verifying the DB is healthy.

KKey Concepts to Remember

DeletionPolicy

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

DeletionPolicy

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. DeletionPolicy 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.

Review deletionPolicy, then practise related DVA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DVA-C02 question test?

Deployment — This question tests Deployment — DeletionPolicy.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: DeletionPolicy attribute set to Snapshot — Rolling updates are not supported for AWS::RDS::DBInstance in CloudFormation. Instead, to minimize downtime during an RDS update, you should use a replacement update strategy with the DeletionPolicy attribute set to Snapshot to preserve data from the old instance. Options A, B, and C apply to Auto Scaling groups, not RDS. Option E (UseOnlineResizing) is not a valid CloudFormation attribute.

What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?

Review deletionPolicy, then practise related DVA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

DeletionPolicy

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on DVA-C02

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 company uses AWS CloudFormation to manage infrastructure. The development team wants to make a change to a stack that involves replacing a critical resource. The team wants to minimize downtime and ensure that the replacement is successful before removing the old resource. Which CloudFormation feature should the team use?

medium

A.Use AWS CodeDeploy blue/green deployment.
✓ B.Use a change set to review the changes before executing.
C.Use a CreationPolicy on the resource to ensure it is fully created before the old one is deleted.
D.Use nested stacks to isolate the resource.

Why B: Option B is correct because change sets allow the team to preview the changes that will be made to the stack, including which resources will be replaced. By reviewing the change set, the team can verify that the replacement will be successful and plan accordingly to minimize downtime. Option A is incorrect because CodeDeploy is an application deployment service, not a CloudFormation feature for managing resource replacement order. Option C is incorrect because CreationPolicy is used to wait for signals (e.g., from cfn-init) to ensure a resource is configured before considering it created; it does not control the order of resource creation and deletion during stack updates. Option D is incorrect because nested stacks help organize infrastructure but do not inherently ensure that a resource is created before the old one is destroyed.

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