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SAA-C03 Practice Question: Cross-region RDS read replica failover requires…
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of cross-region rds read replica failover requires…. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: cross-region RDS read replica failover requires manual promotion — it is not automatic. 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 production MySQL database on Amazon RDS in us-east-1. A read replica exists in us-west-2 for disaster recovery. The primary region experiences a complete outage. Which of the following describes the correct procedure to restore database service using the cross-region read replica?
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
Best answer
Manually promote the us-west-2 read replica to a standalone DB instance and update application endpoints
Manual promotion is the correct procedure. The replica becomes a writable standalone DB in us-west-2. Applications must update their connection strings to the new endpoint.
B
Distractor review
Create a new RDS instance in us-west-2 and manually restore data from application logs
Manually restoring data from application logs is not a valid DR procedure. Use the read replica which already contains synchronized production data.
C
Distractor review
Wait for AWS to automatically fail over the read replica to become the new primary
RDS cross-region read replicas do not automatically failover. Manual promotion is required. Only Multi-AZ provides automatic same-region failover.
D
Distractor review
Restore the primary database from the most recent automated snapshot in us-west-2
The read replica is more current than a daily snapshot and is faster to promote. Snapshot restoration is the last resort when no replica exists.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
RDS Multi-AZ provides automatic failover — no manual action required. Cross-region read replicas do NOT failover automatically — promotion must be manually triggered. This distinction appears frequently. For automatic cross-region failover with near-zero RPO, use Amazon Aurora Global Database.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
RDS DR options comparison: - Multi-AZ (same region): ~60-120s RTO, near-zero RPO, automatic failover - Cross-region read replica: minutes RTO (manual promotion), seconds-minutes RPO (lag), manual - Aurora Global Database: ~1 minute RTO, <1 second RPO, managed failover - Snapshot restore: hours RTO, since last snapshot RPO, manual Read replica promotion steps: 1. Open RDS console or use CLI: promote-read-replica 2. Select the replica in us-west-2 3. Choose Promote read replica 4. Wait for promotion to complete (brief downtime) 5. Update application DNS/connection strings to new endpoint
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Cross-region RDS read replica failover requires manual promotion — it is not automatic
- Promotion breaks the replication link — the replica becomes an independent writable instance
- Any replication lag at the time of outage becomes the RPO (data may be lost)
- RDS Multi-AZ provides automatic same-region failover; cross-region requires manual action
- Aurora Global Database supports managed cross-region failover with sub-second RPO
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
Cross-region RDS read replica failover requires manual promotion — it is not automatic
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Cross-region RDS read replica failover requires manual promotion — it is not automatic
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Manually promote the us-west-2 read replica to a standalone DB instance and update application endpoints — Cross-region RDS read replicas support manual promotion to a standalone database instance. When the primary region fails, the replica must be manually promoted — this makes it an independent writable instance in us-west-2. Key points: Promotion is NOT automatic (unlike RDS Multi-AZ failover). Promotion breaks the replication link — the replica becomes autonomous. After promotion, application connection strings must be updated to the new endpoint. Any replication lag at the time of the outage represents potential data loss (RPO > 0).
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Review cross-region RDS read replica failover requires manual promotion — it is not automatic, then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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