The correct answer is the DatabaseConnections metric with the Average statistic. This combination is ideal because the Average statistic smooths out brief, transient spikes in connection counts, providing a reliable measure of sustained usage over the five-minute evaluation window. When setting up an RDS database connections alarm average statistic, you need to ensure the alarm triggers only when the average number of connections remains above 80% of the maximum for the entire period, not just for a few seconds. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of how CloudWatch statistics align with alarm evaluation periods—a common trap is choosing Sum or Maximum, which would react to short bursts rather than sustained load. Remember the memory tip: “Average for sustained, Maximum for spikes.”
DOP-C02 Monitoring and Logging Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 company is using Amazon RDS for MySQL and wants to monitor database connections. They need to set up an alarm when the number of connections exceeds 80% of the maximum connections for more than 5 minutes. Which CloudWatch metric and statistic should be used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
DatabaseConnections metric with Average statistic
Option B is correct because the Average statistic of the DatabaseConnections metric over a 5-minute period provides a smoothed representation of connection usage, which is appropriate for detecting sustained breaches of the 80% threshold. Using Average reduces sensitivity to transient spikes, ensuring the alarm triggers only when the average number of connections remains above the threshold for the entire evaluation period, aligning with the requirement of 'more than 5 minutes'.
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.
✗
DatabaseConnections metric with Maximum statistic
Why it's wrong here
Maximum could capture a brief spike but not sustained high usage.
✓
DatabaseConnections metric with Average statistic
Why this is correct
Average of DatabaseConnections over 5 minutes gives a good indication of sustained connection usage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
DatabaseConnections metric with Sum and then divide by the number of data points
Why it's wrong here
That is essentially Average but unnecessarily complex; Average is simpler.
✗
DatabaseConnections metric with Sum statistic
Why it's wrong here
Sum would add up connection counts over the period, which is not meaningful for threshold comparison.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Maximum because they think it is the most conservative for detecting high usage, but they overlook that the requirement is for sustained breaches over 5 minutes, not instantaneous spikes, making Average the correct choice for avoiding false alarms.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudWatch metrics for RDS are published at a 1-minute granularity by default. The DatabaseConnections metric reports the current number of connections to the DB instance at each data point. When setting an alarm based on a percentage of max_connections (e.g., 80% of a value like 1000), you must use a statistic that reflects typical usage over the evaluation window. Average is ideal because it smooths out brief fluctuations, while Maximum would react to momentary connection bursts that may not indicate a persistent overload. In practice, using the Average statistic with a period of 5 minutes and a threshold of 0.8 * (max_connections) ensures the alarm fires only when the sustained load exceeds capacity.
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.
Monitoring and Logging — This question tests Monitoring and Logging — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: DatabaseConnections metric with Average statistic — Option B is correct because the Average statistic of the DatabaseConnections metric over a 5-minute period provides a smoothed representation of connection usage, which is appropriate for detecting sustained breaches of the 80% threshold. Using Average reduces sensitivity to transient spikes, ensuring the alarm triggers only when the average number of connections remains above the threshold for the entire evaluation period, aligning with the requirement of 'more than 5 minutes'.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 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.
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Question Discussion
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