Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
application.properties: spring.datasource.url=jdbc:mysql://10.0.12.55:3306/orders spring.datasource.username=appuser spring.datasource.password=**** RDS event log: 2026-04-12T03:14:22Z db-1 - Failover started 2026-04-12T03:15:01Z db-1 - Primary unavailable 2026-04-12T03:16:10Z app-server-2 - SQLRecoverableException: Communications link failure Current deployment: Amazon RDS for MySQL, Multi-AZ enabled Application instances in two AZs Connection string uses an IP address that was entered manually
Based on the exhibit, the application team wants the database to keep the same connection endpoint during failover and to reconnect automatically after the primary instance becomes unavailable. Which 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 IP address and increase the JDBC connection timeout so the application waits longer during failover.
A longer timeout can reduce the number of immediate failures that the application sees, but it does not solve the core problem. The hardcoded IP address can still point to the old primary after failover, so the client may continue to connect to the wrong target until the configuration is changed.
B
Best answer
Replace the IP address with the RDS DNS endpoint and add client retry logic that re-resolves DNS after connection loss.
RDS Multi-AZ failover preserves the database endpoint name, not the underlying IP address. When the standby is promoted, AWS updates the DNS record to point to the new primary. Using the RDS endpoint allows the application to follow that change, and retry logic helps the client recover from the short disconnect that occurs during failover.
C
Distractor review
Create an additional read replica and point the application to it so failover is faster.
A read replica is not the normal automatic failover target for a writable application database. Pointing the application at a replica can also introduce replication lag and change the write semantics of the system.
D
Distractor review
Place a Network Load Balancer in front of the database and use the load balancer target IP to avoid DNS changes.
Managed RDS failover is not implemented by placing a load balancer in front of the database. This adds complexity without providing the native endpoint stability that RDS Multi-AZ already supports through DNS.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Related practice questions
Related SAA-C03 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
SAA-C03 Auto Scaling practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 Auto Scaling.
SAA-C03 disaster recovery questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 disaster recovery questions.
SAA-C03 high availability questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 high availability questions.
SAA-C03 cost optimization questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 cost optimization questions.
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
A team needs to distribute TCP traffic (not HTTP) across multiple services. The services must see the original client source IP for auditing. Which AWS load balancer is the best fit?
Question 2
A team wants to run containerized services with AWS-managed orchestration and autoscaling. They do NOT require Kubernetes compatibility. Which AWS service choice is most appropriate to meet these goals?
Question 3
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a IoT ingestion API. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Question 4
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a claims portal. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
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
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a healthcare document service. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Replace the IP address with the RDS DNS endpoint and add client retry logic that re-resolves DNS after connection loss. — Amazon RDS Multi-AZ is designed so the database endpoint remains stable while AWS fails over the primary role behind the scenes. The application should connect to the RDS DNS endpoint rather than a manually entered IP address, because the IP can change when the standby becomes primary. Client-side retry logic is also important so transient connection failures during failover do not become a prolonged outage. Keeping the IP only hides the symptom briefly and still leaves the application tied to a target that can change during failover. A read replica is primarily for read scaling and is not the standard automatic writer failover destination. An NLB is not the supported pattern for RDS failover, so it increases complexity without solving the endpoint problem.
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.
Discussion
Loading comments…
Sign in to join the discussion.