SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating a critical application to AWS and needs to ensure that the migration has minimal downtime. The application runs on a single on-premises server with a local MySQL database. Which strategy provides the lowest downtime?
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
✓
Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication and cutover
(Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication and cutover) is correct because it enables continuous replication from the on-premises MySQL database to Amazon RDS, allowing a cutover with minimal downtime. Option A (Rehost using AWS Application Migration Service) typically involves some downtime during the replication and cutover. Option B (AWS Backup backup and restore to RDS) requires stopping the application to take a consistent backup, causing downtime. Option C (Stop, snapshot, restore) involves stopping the application, thus causing downtime.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Rehost the application using AWS Application Migration Service
Why it's wrong here
Application Migration Service replicates the entire server, including the MySQL database, but the cutover process requires a final sync window that can cause minutes of downtime, whereas a database-level replication tool like AWS Database Migration Service with ongoing change data capture can reduce downtime to seconds. This option is tempting because it automates server migration and works well for lift-and-shift scenarios where brief downtime is acceptable, such as for non-critical workloads or batch processing systems.
- ✗
Use AWS Backup to back up and restore to RDS
Why it's wrong here
Backup and restore introduces downtime during the restore process.
- ✗
Stop the application, take a snapshot, and restore on EC2
Why it's wrong here
This approach results in significant downtime.
- ✓
Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication and cutover
Why this is correct
DMS with ongoing replication allows near-zero downtime by keeping the target in sync until cutover.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SAP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is migrating a critical application to AWS and needs to ensure that the migration has minimal downtime. The application uses a SQL Server database. The company wants to use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for the migration. What should the company do to minimize downtime during the database migration?
medium- A.Use DMS with validation enabled and then truncate the target before cutover.
- ✓ B.Use DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture) to keep the target database synchronized, then perform a brief cutover.
- C.Use DMS with full load only and schedule the migration during a maintenance window.
- D.Perform a full load migration using DMS and then manually copy any remaining data.
Why B: Using change data capture (CDC) with AWS DMS enables ongoing replication of changes from the source SQL Server database to the target. This keeps the target nearly synchronized, so during cutover only a brief pause is needed to apply any final changes, minimizing downtime. Option A is incorrect because enabling validation does not reduce downtime; it only verifies data integrity after migration, and truncating the target before cutover would remove all data, causing potential data loss and additional downtime. Option C is incorrect because a full load only captures a snapshot of the database at a point in time; any changes after that require a separate sync, leading to longer downtime. Option D is incorrect because manually copying remaining data after a full load migration defeats the purpose of using DMS and introduces significant downtime and risk of inconsistency.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.