Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A team runs an Amazon RDS for MySQL database in a single Availability Zone. They want automatic failover with minimal downtime if the primary database instance becomes unavailable. Automated backups are already enabled. Which configuration change best meets the requirement?
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 deployment as single-AZ, but increase automated backup retention to 35 days.
Increasing backup retention improves point-in-time recovery and recovery from mistakes, but it does not create a standby instance in another AZ. It does not provide automatic failover when the primary instance fails.
B
Distractor review
Create a read replica in another Availability Zone, but keep Multi-AZ disabled.
A read replica provides additional read capacity and offloading, but it is not the same as the managed Multi-AZ synchronous standby used for automatic failover. Read replicas generally do not provide the same automated promotion behavior for the primary endpoint during an AZ outage.
C
Best answer
Enable RDS Multi-AZ so AWS maintains a standby in another Availability Zone for automatic failover.
RDS Multi-AZ creates a standby instance in a different AZ and replicates data to it. If the primary becomes unavailable, AWS performs an automatic failover, promoting the standby and maintaining high availability with minimal application disruption.
D
Distractor review
Rely on restoring from the most recent manual snapshot after an outage.
Restoring from a snapshot is a manual recovery step and typically takes longer than an automated failover. It does not meet the requirement for automatic failover with minimal downtime.
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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Question 2
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Question 3
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Question 5
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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: Enable RDS Multi-AZ so AWS maintains a standby in another Availability Zone for automatic failover. — RDS Multi-AZ is specifically designed for high availability. When enabled for a single-AZ RDS instance, AWS provisions a standby in another Availability Zone and keeps it synchronized. If the primary instance fails, AWS automatically promotes the standby, and the database endpoint continues to work for applications that reconnect. Automated backups (including point-in-time recovery) support data recovery scenarios, but they do not themselves provide the automatic failover behavior required for an instance/AZ outage. Longer automated backup retention (A) helps recovery to a previous point in time, not runtime availability. A read replica (B) supports reads, but it is not the managed Multi-AZ standby promotion mechanism used for automatic failover. Restoring from a snapshot (D) is typically slower and manual, increasing downtime.
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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