Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company needs an Amazon RDS database that automatically fails over to a standby when the primary DB instance becomes unavailable. Which approach best meets the requirement with minimal operational effort?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Keep the DB as a single-AZ instance and implement a manual process to promote a standby when needed.
Single-AZ RDS does not maintain an in-region standby instance. A manual promotion process requires human intervention and custom automation, and it does not provide automatic failover as requested.
B
Best answer
Deploy the DB as a Multi-AZ DB instance so AWS maintains a synchronous standby in another Availability Zone and performs automated failover.
RDS Multi-AZ provisions a synchronous standby in a different Availability Zone within the same AWS Region. When the primary DB instance is unavailable, AWS performs automated failover to the standby, reducing downtime without custom scripts.
C
Distractor review
Enable versioned backups only, and restore the database each time the primary instance becomes unavailable.
Backups support recovery from data issues, but they are not an availability mechanism. Restoring is a restore operation that typically takes longer than an AZ-level failover and still does not provide automatic promotion of a standby.
D
Distractor review
Replicate the database to another region and switch clients to the secondary region using manual DNS changes.
Cross-region replication can support disaster recovery, but manual DNS switching is an operator-driven step. It does not provide automatic failover to a standby when the primary instance becomes unavailable.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
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.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
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Question 2
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Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
A team wants to delegate IAM management to developers, but must ensure developers can never grant themselves permissions beyond a specific limit. Which AWS mechanism best matches this requirement?
Question 6
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy the DB as a Multi-AZ DB instance so AWS maintains a synchronous standby in another Availability Zone and performs automated failover. — Use an RDS Multi-AZ DB instance. Multi-AZ keeps a synchronous standby in another Availability Zone within the same Region. If the primary DB instance fails, AWS automatically promotes the standby, minimizing downtime and removing the need for custom failover automation. Backup/restore and cross-region replication are useful for different failure scenarios, but they do not replace AWS-managed automatic failover for an AZ-level outage. Single-AZ requires manual intervention and does not provide an AWS-managed standby for automatic failover. Backups/restore recover data state, but they do not perform an automated standby promotion, so recovery time and operations are higher. Cross-region replication with manual DNS changes is closer to disaster recovery and depends on human action, so it does not meet the automatic failover requirement.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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