- A
Deploy the application on Amazon ECS with Fargate, and use Amazon RDS Proxy to manage database connections efficiently. Refactor the application to separate components into multiple microservices.
Correct. RDS Proxy reduces connection overhead, and microservices enable scalability and HA.
- B
Use Amazon ElastiCache to cache database query results and reduce the number of direct database connections. Keep the application on a single EC2 instance but use an Auto Scaling group with a minimum of one instance.
Why wrong: Caching may help but does not address the connection pooling issue or provide HA for the application.
- C
Increase the connection pool size in the application configuration to handle more concurrent requests. Then deploy the application on a larger EC2 instance to handle the load.
Why wrong: Increasing pool size may lead to database resource exhaustion, and vertical scaling does not provide HA.
- D
Migrate the application to run on AWS Lambda with a connection pool managed by the Lambda function. Use Amazon RDS Proxy to handle the database connections.
Why wrong: Lambda has limitations on long-running connections and may require significant refactoring.
Quick Answer
The correct approach is to deploy the application on Amazon ECS with Fargate and use Amazon RDS Proxy to manage database connections, while refactoring the monolithic CRM into microservices. This resolves the high latency and timeouts because the monolithic application’s on-premises connection pool is inefficient for cloud scaling—short-lived connections overwhelm the database, and RDS Proxy pools and reuses them, reducing connection overhead and improving throughput. Containerizing with Fargate provides automatic scaling and high availability without managing servers. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to combine container orchestration with managed database connection pooling for legacy migrations. A common trap is to simply increase the connection pool size, which can exhaust database resources, or to suggest Lambda without considering the refactoring effort for a stateful Java monolith. Memory tip: “Proxy pools, containers scale—monoliths must split to sail.”
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 migrating a legacy Java-based customer relationship management (CRM) system from on-premises to AWS. The application currently runs on a single physical server with a monolithic architecture. The application stores data in an Oracle database on a separate server. The company has purchased a third-party migration tool that can convert Oracle stored procedures to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-compatible code. The migration team has successfully migrated the database to Aurora PostgreSQL using AWS DMS with ongoing CDC. The application now runs on a single EC2 instance in a test environment. However, during load testing, the application experiences high latency and intermittent timeouts when accessing the database. The team notices that the application makes many short-lived database connections and uses a connection pool that was configured for the on-premises environment. The team has also observed that the application logs show a high number of connection timeouts. The company wants to modernize the application to be highly available and scalable on AWS. Which combination of actions should the team take to resolve the performance issues and achieve the company's goals?
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
Deploy the application on Amazon ECS with Fargate, and use Amazon RDS Proxy to manage database connections efficiently. Refactor the application to separate components into multiple microservices.
The issue is likely due to the connection pool being inefficient for the cloud environment and the monolithic architecture not scaling. Deploying the application as microservices on containers with an RDS Proxy for connection pooling addresses both performance and high availability. Simply increasing connection pool size may overwhelm the database. Using Lambda would require significant refactoring. Vertical scaling does not provide high availability.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Deploy the application on Amazon ECS with Fargate, and use Amazon RDS Proxy to manage database connections efficiently. Refactor the application to separate components into multiple microservices.
Why this is correct
Correct. RDS Proxy reduces connection overhead, and microservices enable scalability and HA.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✗
Use Amazon ElastiCache to cache database query results and reduce the number of direct database connections. Keep the application on a single EC2 instance but use an Auto Scaling group with a minimum of one instance.
Why it's wrong here
Caching may help but does not address the connection pooling issue or provide HA for the application.
- ✗
Increase the connection pool size in the application configuration to handle more concurrent requests. Then deploy the application on a larger EC2 instance to handle the load.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing pool size may lead to database resource exhaustion, and vertical scaling does not provide HA.
- ✗
Migrate the application to run on AWS Lambda with a connection pool managed by the Lambda function. Use Amazon RDS Proxy to handle the database connections.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda has limitations on long-running connections and may require significant refactoring.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy the application on Amazon ECS with Fargate, and use Amazon RDS Proxy to manage database connections efficiently. Refactor the application to separate components into multiple microservices. — The issue is likely due to the connection pool being inefficient for the cloud environment and the monolithic architecture not scaling. Deploying the application as microservices on containers with an RDS Proxy for connection pooling addresses both performance and high availability. Simply increasing connection pool size may overwhelm the database. Using Lambda would require significant refactoring. Vertical scaling does not provide high availability.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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