The answer is to schedule hourly EBS snapshots with cross-region replication, enable automated RDS backups for point-in-time recovery, and implement cross-region replication for both EBS snapshots and RDS backups to establish a secondary region. This combination meets the 2-hour RTO and 1-hour RPO because automated RDS backups achieve an RPO of just 5 minutes, while hourly EBS snapshots replicated to another region ensure data loss stays under one hour, and the cross-region copy provides the infrastructure needed to fail over within the RTO window. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between data-plane replication (snapshots, backups) and instance-level recovery (AMIs), which do not preserve data. A common trap is selecting AMIs for data recovery, but AMIs capture only the root volume’s OS state, not application data on attached EBS volumes. Remember the memory tip: “Snapshots save data, AMIs only the OS—for RPO under an hour, replicate snapshots across the globe.”
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. 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 is designing a disaster recovery strategy for a critical application that runs on Amazon EC2. The application data is stored on Amazon EBS volumes and Amazon RDS for MySQL. The recovery time objective (RTO) is 2 hours, and the recovery point objective (RPO) is 1 hour. Which THREE steps should the company take to meet these objectives?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure cross-region replication for the RDS instance using a read replica.
Option A is correct because automated backups of RDS allow point-in-time recovery with RPO of 5 minutes. Option C is correct because EBS snapshots can be created frequently and replicated. Option E is correct because cross-region replication provides a secondary site. Option B is incorrect because AMIs do not include data. Option D is incorrect because application-level replication is less reliable.
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.
✓
Configure cross-region replication for the RDS instance using a read replica.
Why this is correct
Provides a standby in another region with low RPO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for continuous replication.
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for migration, not DR; replication may introduce latency.
✗
Create AMIs of the EC2 instances every hour.
Why it's wrong here
AMIs do not include data stored on EBS volumes that are not root volumes.
✓
Enable automated backups for the RDS instance with a retention period of 1 hour.
Why this is correct
Allows point-in-time recovery within RPO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Schedule EBS snapshots every hour and replicate them to another region.
Why this is correct
Meets RPO of 1 hour and provides cross-region recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure cross-region replication for the RDS instance using a read replica. — Option A is correct because automated backups of RDS allow point-in-time recovery with RPO of 5 minutes. Option C is correct because EBS snapshots can be created frequently and replicated. Option E is correct because cross-region replication provides a secondary site. Option B is incorrect because AMIs do not include data. Option D is incorrect because application-level replication is less reliable.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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