- A
Migrate PostgreSQL to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL.
Amazon RDS removes much of the undifferentiated heavy lifting for backups, patching, and high availability management. For a standard relational database workload, RDS usually lowers operational effort and total cost of ownership compared with a self-managed PostgreSQL deployment on EC2.
- B
Replace RabbitMQ with Amazon SQS for asynchronous message handling.
If the workload only needs durable queueing and decoupling, Amazon SQS is a simpler and less expensive managed service than a self-managed RabbitMQ cluster. SQS eliminates broker patching, capacity planning, and cluster maintenance, which is exactly the kind of operational overhead the scenario wants to reduce.
- C
Move PostgreSQL to Amazon DynamoDB without redesigning the application.
Why wrong: DynamoDB is a different database model and is not a drop-in replacement for PostgreSQL. Using it would require significant application and data-model changes, so it does not fit the goal of a low-friction cost and operations improvement.
- D
Replace RabbitMQ with another EC2-based broker cluster for more control.
Why wrong: This keeps the same operational burden because the team still has to patch, back up, and scale the broker infrastructure. More control is not the same as lower cost or lower management overhead.
- E
Keep the same design and increase instance sizes to simplify maintenance.
Why wrong: Larger instances may temporarily reduce tuning pressure, but they do not remove the operational work of managing a database and broker. The scenario is about reducing self-managed infrastructure overhead, not only increasing raw capacity.
SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized 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 a customer portal on self-managed PostgreSQL on EC2, plus a self-managed RabbitMQ cluster for asynchronous work that only requires durable queueing and does not depend on RabbitMQ-specific exchange features. The operations team spends a lot of time patching, backing up, and scaling both systems. The business wants to reduce infrastructure management overhead and total cost of ownership. Which two changes are the best fit? Select two.
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.
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
Migrate PostgreSQL to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL.
Option A is correct because migrating PostgreSQL to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL offloads patching, backups, and scaling to AWS, reducing operational overhead. RDS automates OS and database patching, provides automated backups with point-in-time recovery, and supports vertical scaling with minimal downtime. This directly addresses the team's time spent on maintenance while lowering TCO compared to self-managed EC2.
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.
- ✓
Migrate PostgreSQL to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL.
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS removes much of the undifferentiated heavy lifting for backups, patching, and high availability management. For a standard relational database workload, RDS usually lowers operational effort and total cost of ownership compared with a self-managed PostgreSQL deployment on EC2.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Replace RabbitMQ with Amazon SQS for asynchronous message handling.
Why this is correct
If the workload only needs durable queueing and decoupling, Amazon SQS is a simpler and less expensive managed service than a self-managed RabbitMQ cluster. SQS eliminates broker patching, capacity planning, and cluster maintenance, which is exactly the kind of operational overhead the scenario wants to reduce.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Move PostgreSQL to Amazon DynamoDB without redesigning the application.
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is a different database model and is not a drop-in replacement for PostgreSQL. Using it would require significant application and data-model changes, so it does not fit the goal of a low-friction cost and operations improvement.
- ✗
Replace RabbitMQ with another EC2-based broker cluster for more control.
Why it's wrong here
This keeps the same operational burden because the team still has to patch, back up, and scale the broker infrastructure. More control is not the same as lower cost or lower management overhead.
- ✗
Keep the same design and increase instance sizes to simplify maintenance.
Why it's wrong here
Larger instances may temporarily reduce tuning pressure, but they do not remove the operational work of managing a database and broker. The scenario is about reducing self-managed infrastructure overhead, not only increasing raw capacity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think DynamoDB can replace any database to reduce costs, ignoring that it requires application redesign and cannot directly substitute a relational database like PostgreSQL.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Larger instances may temporarily reduce tuning pressure, but they do not remove the operational work of managing a database and broker. The scenario is about reducing self-managed infrastructure overhead, not only increasing raw capacity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL uses EBS-optimized instances and automated storage management with General Purpose (gp3) or Provisioned IOPS (io1/io2) volumes, supporting up to 64 TiB. Amazon SQS provides at-least-once delivery and exactly-once processing via deduplication IDs, with a 256 KB message size limit and 14-day retention, making it suitable for durable queueing without RabbitMQ's exchange routing features. Under the hood, SQS uses a distributed, replicated backend to ensure durability, while RDS automates failover with Multi-AZ deployments using synchronous replication.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Visual reference
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Migrate PostgreSQL to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. — Option A is correct because migrating PostgreSQL to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL offloads patching, backups, and scaling to AWS, reducing operational overhead. RDS automates OS and database patching, provides automated backups with point-in-time recovery, and supports vertical scaling with minimal downtime. This directly addresses the team's time spent on maintenance while lowering TCO compared to self-managed EC2.
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". 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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