SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating a legacy on-premises application to AWS. The application uses a proprietary database that runs on a single Windows server. The company wants to minimize downtime and avoid re-architecting the database. Which migration strategy should the solutions architect recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing 'rehost' with 'replatform' — candidates may pick RDS because it sounds like a managed improvement, but the question emphasizes minimizing downtime and avoiding re-architecture, which points to a lift-and-shift rehost.
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
✓
Rehost using AWS Application Migration Service (CloudEndure)
Rehosting (lift-and-shift) with AWS Application Migration Service (formerly CloudEndure) moves the Windows server and its proprietary database to EC2 with minimal changes and minimal downtime, preserving the existing database engine. This aligns with the goal of avoiding re-architecture while meeting the migration timeline.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Retire the application and replace it with a SaaS solution
Why it's wrong here
Retiring the application discards the proprietary database entirely, so its data and logic cannot be preserved, contradicting the migration goal. It tempts when an application is redundant and a SaaS product already covers the business need, making decommissioning cheaper than migrating.
- ✓
Rehost using AWS Application Migration Service (CloudEndure)
Why this is correct
AWS Application Migration Service replicates the Windows server block-level to AWS, preserving the proprietary database unchanged, so no re-architecting occurs. Continuous replication keeps cutover downtime to minutes, satisfying both the minimise-downtime and avoid-re-architecting constraints. Replatforming or refactoring would alter the database engine, which the stem forbids.
- ✗
Re-architect the application to use Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is a NoSQL key-value store, so the proprietary relational schema and stored procedures would need rewriting, directly violating the no-re-architecting requirement. It tempts architects wanting managed, serverless scale, and would fit a greenfield application with simple access patterns and no legacy schema constraints.
- ✗
Replatform by migrating the database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server
Why it's wrong here
Amazon RDS for SQL Server runs Microsoft SQL Server, so it cannot host the proprietary database engine without schema and code changes. It is tempting because RDS is managed and reduces operational effort, and it would be correct where the source database is already SQL Server.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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.