Question 242 of 302
SAA-C03 Design Resilient Architectures Practice Question
Exhibit
Amazon RDS configuration: - Engine: MySQL - Deployment: Single-AZ - Backup retention: 7 days - Application connection string: db-prod.cluster-abcdefghijkl.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com Operations note: - During maintenance, the database endpoint stayed reachable only after a manual restore from snapshot.
Based on the exhibit, the database must fail over automatically if the primary Availability Zone goes down. Which solution should the architect choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse read replicas (which are for read scaling and require manual promotion) with Multi-AZ deployments (which provide automatic failover), leading them to incorrectly select Option A.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Convert the database to a Multi-AZ RDS deployment.
A Multi-AZ RDS deployment automatically synchronously replicates data to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone. If the primary AZ fails, Amazon RDS automatically performs a failover to the standby, ensuring high availability without manual intervention. This meets the requirement for automatic failover when the primary AZ goes down.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a read replica in the same Availability Zone as the primary database.
Why it's wrong here
A read replica helps with read scaling and some recovery scenarios, but it does not provide automatic failover like a Multi-AZ deployment.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the requirement was to offload read traffic from the primary database to improve performance, with no need for automatic failover.
- ✓
Convert the database to a Multi-AZ RDS deployment.
Why this is correct
A Multi-AZ RDS deployment keeps a synchronous standby in another Availability Zone and automatically fails over when the primary fails. This matches the requirement for minimal manual intervention and preserves the same database endpoint, so the application does not need connection string changes. It is the standard AWS choice for resilient relational databases.
- ✗
Increase the backup retention period to 35 days.
Why it's wrong here
Longer backups improve recovery options, but they do not provide automatic failover during an outage. Backups are still a restore-based process.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question asked for a solution to meet a compliance requirement for longer backup retention (e.g., 35 days) or to enable point-in-time recovery for a longer period, without any mention of automatic failover or high availability.
- ✗
Move the database to an EC2 instance with an attached EBS volume.
Why it's wrong here
Running the database on EC2 adds operational burden and usually reduces managed failover capability compared with RDS Multi-AZ.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct in a scenario where the application requires full control over the database environment, such as needing to install custom software or configure specific OS-level settings that are not supported by RDS, and where automatic failover is not a requirement.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SAA-C03 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Convert the database to a Multi-AZ RDS deployment.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
A Multi-AZ RDS deployment keeps a synchronous standby in another Availability Zone and automatically fails over when the primary fails. This matches the requirement for minimal manual intervention and preserves the same database endpoint, so the application does not need connection string changes. It is the standard AWS choice for resilient relational databases.
✗Create a read replica in the same Availability Zone as the primary database.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A read replica in the same Availability Zone does not provide automatic failover if the primary AZ goes down; it is designed for read scaling, not high availability.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the requirement was to offload read traffic from the primary database to improve performance, with no need for automatic failover.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly believe that a read replica can serve as a standby for failover, confusing read replicas with Multi-AZ deployments.
✗Increase the backup retention period to 35 days.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Increasing the backup retention period to 35 days does not provide automatic failover; it only extends the point-in-time recovery window. The question requires automatic failover when the primary Availability Zone fails, which Multi-AZ RDS provides.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question asked for a solution to meet a compliance requirement for longer backup retention (e.g., 35 days) or to enable point-in-time recovery for a longer period, without any mention of automatic failover or high availability.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse backup retention with disaster recovery or high availability, thinking that longer backups improve availability, but backups do not provide automatic failover.
✗Move the database to an EC2 instance with an attached EBS volume.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Moving the database to an EC2 instance with an attached EBS volume does not provide automatic failover; you would need to manually manage failover or implement custom scripting, which does not meet the requirement for automatic failover when the primary Availability Zone goes down.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct in a scenario where the application requires full control over the database environment, such as needing to install custom software or configure specific OS-level settings that are not supported by RDS, and where automatic failover is not a requirement.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that running the database on EC2 with EBS provides flexibility and control, and they might assume that EBS snapshots or replication can be used for failover, but they overlook the complexity and lack of built-in automatic failover.
Analysis generated from the official SAA-C03blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.