SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating a legacy database to Amazon RDS. The database currently runs on a single server with a 2 TB volume. The migration must have less than 30 minutes of downtime. Which approach should be used for the initial data load?
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 Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) can perform a full load of the 2 TB database and then use ongoing replication to keep the target RDS instance synchronized with the source, minimizing downtime to under 30 minutes. Option A (native dump and restore) would require extended downtime for a 2 TB database. Option C (export to S3 and import) cannot provide continuous replication, leading to more downtime. Option D (creating a read replica) is not feasible from a legacy source to RDS without additional configuration and does not directly address the migration requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a native database dump and restore during a maintenance window
Why it's wrong here
Dump/restore for 2 TB will likely exceed 30 minutes.
- ✓
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication
Why this is correct
DMS does a full load and then replicates changes to keep downtime minimal.
- ✗
Export the database to Amazon S3 and import into RDS using native tools
Why it's wrong here
Export/import can be slow and doesn't provide ongoing replication.
- ✗
Create a read replica from the source database to RDS
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas require MySQL or MariaDB binary log replication; not all databases support it.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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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.