Quick Answer
The answer is to enable Performance Insights and analyze the top queries. This is correct because Performance Insights provides a real-time database load visualization, allowing you to pinpoint the specific SQL statements consuming the most CPU cycles without altering any application code. By identifying these inefficient queries, you can then optimize them through indexing or schema changes, directly reducing the CPU load on the RDS MySQL instance. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that Performance Insights is the go-to diagnostic tool for performance troubleshooting, and it frequently appears as a distractor against options like adding read replicas (which offload read traffic but do not lower CPU on the primary) or Multi-AZ (which only provides failover). A common trap is assuming a read replica will reduce primary CPU, but it only helps with read scaling. Memory tip: think "PI for CPU" — Performance Insights directly identifies the queries pushing your CPU high.
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. 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 uses Amazon RDS for MySQL as its database. The operations team notices that the database CPU utilization is consistently above 90% during peak hours, causing slow query responses. The team needs to quickly reduce CPU load without changing the application code. Which action should the team take?
Enable Multi-AZ deployment.
Why wrong: Multi-AZ is for failover, not performance.
Modify the DB parameter group to increase max_connections.
Why wrong: Increasing connections can worsen CPU usage.
Add a read replica to offload read traffic.
Why wrong: Read replicas do not reduce CPU on the primary instance.
Enable Performance Insights and analyze the top queries.
Performance Insights helps identify queries consuming the most resources.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Enable Performance Insights and analyze the top queries.
Option B is correct because enabling Performance Insights and analyzing queries helps identify inefficient queries that cause high CPU. Option A is wrong because read replicas do not reduce CPU on the primary instance. Option C is wrong because modifying DB parameters does not immediately reduce CPU. Option D is wrong because Multi-AZ is for high availability, not performance.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Enable Multi-AZ deployment.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ is for failover, not performance.
Modify the DB parameter group to increase max_connections.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing connections can worsen CPU usage.
Add a read replica to offload read traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas do not reduce CPU on the primary instance.
Enable Performance Insights and analyze the top queries.
Why this is correct
Performance Insights helps identify queries consuming the most resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Incident and Event Response — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Enable Performance Insights and analyze the top queries. — Option B is correct because enabling Performance Insights and analyzing queries helps identify inefficient queries that cause high CPU. Option A is wrong because read replicas do not reduce CPU on the primary instance. Option C is wrong because modifying DB parameters does not immediately reduce CPU. Option D is wrong because Multi-AZ is for high availability, not performance.
Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This DOP-C02 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 DOP-C02 exam.
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