- A
Create an RDS read replica and route the dashboard’s read-only queries to the replica endpoint
Read replicas offload read workloads from the primary. Since the dashboard performs read-only SELECTs, routing those queries to a replica reduces contention on the primary, allowing OLTP writes to continue with less interference.
- B
Increase instance storage throughput limits and disable synchronous replication to speed up all queries
Why wrong: Storage throughput tuning may help some I/O-bound scenarios, but it does not separate dashboard read workload from OLTP write contention. Disabling synchronous replication is not a safe or targeted approach for improving dashboard performance and can change durability/consistency characteristics.
- C
Replace RDS with Amazon S3 because dashboards require SQL result caching
Why wrong: S3 is object storage and does not run PostgreSQL queries or provide relational SQL execution. It cannot replace the database engine for SELECT workloads, so it would not address the source of database contention.
- D
Move the primary database to a different AWS Region to reduce network latency
Why wrong: Changing regions may affect client network latency, but it does not offload read workload from the primary. The core performance issue described is contention between dashboard reads and primary writes, which read replicas are designed to address.
SAA-C03 Design High-Performing Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design high-performing architectures. 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 runs an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database. The application performs frequent OLTP writes, but it also has a separate dashboard that runs heavy SELECT queries and is slowing down overall database performance. The writes must remain on the primary. What is the best approach to improve performance for the dashboard?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Create an RDS read replica and route the dashboard’s read-only queries to the replica endpoint
Creating an RDS read replica allows you to offload the heavy SELECT queries from the primary database instance. The replica asynchronously replicates data from the primary using PostgreSQL's streaming replication, so the dashboard can query the replica without impacting the OLTP write performance on the primary. This directly addresses the requirement that writes remain on the primary while improving dashboard query performance.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 an RDS read replica and route the dashboard’s read-only queries to the replica endpoint
Why this is correct
Read replicas offload read workloads from the primary. Since the dashboard performs read-only SELECTs, routing those queries to a replica reduces contention on the primary, allowing OLTP writes to continue with less interference.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase instance storage throughput limits and disable synchronous replication to speed up all queries
Why it's wrong here
Storage throughput tuning may help some I/O-bound scenarios, but it does not separate dashboard read workload from OLTP write contention. Disabling synchronous replication is not a safe or targeted approach for improving dashboard performance and can change durability/consistency characteristics.
When this WOULD be correct
An exam scenario where the database is experiencing I/O bottlenecks due to insufficient throughput for both reads and writes, and the question allows modifying replication settings to prioritize write performance at the cost of durability.
- ✗
Replace RDS with Amazon S3 because dashboards require SQL result caching
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage and does not run PostgreSQL queries or provide relational SQL execution. It cannot replace the database engine for SELECT workloads, so it would not address the source of database contention.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where the requirement is to store and serve large amounts of static or semi-static data for a dashboard that can tolerate eventual consistency, and the dashboard queries are simple key-value lookups or use Athena/Redshift Spectrum for analytics on data stored in S3.
- ✗
Move the primary database to a different AWS Region to reduce network latency
Why it's wrong here
Changing regions may affect client network latency, but it does not offload read workload from the primary. The core performance issue described is contention between dashboard reads and primary writes, which read replicas are designed to address.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question stated that the primary database is in a region far from the application servers, causing high latency for all operations, and the goal is to reduce network latency by relocating the database closer to the application.
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.
✓Create an RDS read replica and route the dashboard’s read-only queries to the replica endpointCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Read replicas offload read workloads from the primary. Since the dashboard performs read-only SELECTs, routing those queries to a replica reduces contention on the primary, allowing OLTP writes to continue with less interference.
✗Increase instance storage throughput limits and disable synchronous replication to speed up all queriesWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Disabling synchronous replication compromises data durability and is not supported for RDS PostgreSQL; increasing storage throughput does not address the root cause of heavy SELECT queries impacting OLTP writes.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An exam scenario where the database is experiencing I/O bottlenecks due to insufficient throughput for both reads and writes, and the question allows modifying replication settings to prioritize write performance at the cost of durability.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that increasing resources or reducing replication overhead can solve performance issues, without understanding that read replicas are the proper solution for offloading read traffic without affecting writes.
✗Replace RDS with Amazon S3 because dashboards require SQL result cachingWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Amazon S3 is an object storage service, not a relational database, and cannot execute SQL queries or replace the transactional and query capabilities of RDS PostgreSQL. The dashboard requires live querying of the same data, not cached results from S3.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where the requirement is to store and serve large amounts of static or semi-static data for a dashboard that can tolerate eventual consistency, and the dashboard queries are simple key-value lookups or use Athena/Redshift Spectrum for analytics on data stored in S3.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think S3 is a cost-effective solution for dashboards because it can store large datasets and integrate with analytics services, but they overlook that S3 is not a database and cannot handle complex SQL queries or transactional workloads.
✗Move the primary database to a different AWS Region to reduce network latencyWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Moving the primary database to a different AWS Region does not address the performance impact of heavy SELECT queries on the same instance; it only changes the geographic location, potentially increasing latency for writes and reads.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question stated that the primary database is in a region far from the application servers, causing high latency for all operations, and the goal is to reduce network latency by relocating the database closer to the application.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that moving to a different region can reduce latency for the dashboard, but they overlook that the primary database still handles all queries, and the dashboard's heavy SELECTs remain on the same instance, not solving the performance issue.
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?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates might think increasing instance size or storage throughput is sufficient, but the core issue is workload isolation—offloading read-heavy queries to a read replica is the only scalable solution that preserves write performance on the primary.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Storage throughput tuning may help some I/O-bound scenarios, but it does not separate dashboard read workload from OLTP write contention. Disabling synchronous replication is not a safe or targeted approach for improving dashboard performance and can change durability/consistency characteristics.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
RDS read replicas use PostgreSQL's native streaming replication, which is asynchronous by default, meaning the replica may lag slightly behind the primary (typically sub-second in the same region). For dashboard queries that tolerate eventual consistency, this is ideal. You can also create a read replica in a different AZ for high availability, and you can promote it to a standalone instance if needed. The replica endpoint is a separate DNS name that you configure in your dashboard application to route read-only queries.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design High-Performing Architectures — This question tests Design High-Performing Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an RDS read replica and route the dashboard’s read-only queries to the replica endpoint — Creating an RDS read replica allows you to offload the heavy SELECT queries from the primary database instance. The replica asynchronously replicates data from the primary using PostgreSQL's streaming replication, so the dashboard can query the replica without impacting the OLTP write performance on the primary. This directly addresses the requirement that writes remain on the primary while improving dashboard query performance.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "primary". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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