SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating a legacy Oracle database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The migration must be completed with minimal downtime and minimal manual effort. Which AWS service should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAP-C02 often tests the difference between schema conversion (SCT) and data migration (DMS), so candidates may choose SCT alone thinking it covers the entire migration, or pick DataSync for database migration when it is meant for file storage.
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
✓
AWS DMS with ongoing replication
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication enables continuous data replication from the source Oracle database to the target Aurora PostgreSQL with minimal downtime. It supports heterogeneous migrations when combined with the AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) for schema conversion. DMS handles the data migration and keeps the target in sync until cutover, minimizing manual effort and 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.
- ✗
AWS DataSync
Why it's wrong here
DataSync copies files and objects between storage locations; it does not read Oracle tables or write to Aurora PostgreSQL. It is tempting for large-scale online data transfer, and would be correct for migrating on-premises file shares or S3 buckets, not for a database engine migration.
- ✓
AWS DMS with ongoing replication
Why this is correct
AWS DMS with ongoing replication performs the initial full load and then continuously applies change data capture from Oracle to Aurora PostgreSQL. Cutover happens once replication lag is negligible, satisfying minimal downtime with minimal manual intervention.
- ✗
AWS Snowball Edge
Why it's wrong here
Snowball Edge moves bulk data physically into AWS, not between database engines, and cannot convert Oracle schemas to PostgreSQL. It is tempting for terabyte-scale offline transfers where network bandwidth is the constraint, but here the requirement is engine conversion with minimal downtime.
- ✗
AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT)
Why it's wrong here
SCT converts schema and code between engines but performs no data movement, so it cannot complete the migration alone. It is tempting because heterogeneous migrations genuinely require schema conversion, and SCT would be correct as one component alongside DMS for the data copy.
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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.