SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating a legacy three-tier application to AWS. The application tier is stateless and can be containerized, but the database tier is a commercial relational database that the vendor will only license on specific instance types. The company wants to reduce operational overhead for the database while keeping the same engine and minimizing schema changes. Which migration approach should a solutions architect recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any managed AWS database service will accept the existing commercial engine unchanged, when only Amazon RDS for that specific engine preserves full compatibility.
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
✓
Replatform the database to Amazon RDS for the same engine using a vendor-supported instance class, and use Multi-AZ for high availability
Replatforming to Amazon RDS for the same commercial engine keeps SQL and driver compatibility while offloading patching, backups, and failover to AWS. Multi-AZ provides synchronous standby replication for high availability, and instance classes can be chosen to satisfy vendor licensing terms. Self-managing on EC2 reduces managed benefits, while NoSQL or Babelfish approaches change the engine and risk schema or feature incompatibility.
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 database to Amazon EC2 on vendor-certified instance types and manage patching, backups, and high availability manually
Why it's wrong here
Rehosting to EC2 preserves engine compatibility but leaves patching, backup, and high availability as the company's responsibility, which conflicts with the goal of reducing operational overhead. It also does not take advantage of managed failover or automated backups. This is the least modernized option and does not address the stated objective.
- ✗
Replatform the database to Amazon Aurora with aBabelfish endpoint to emulate the commercial engine's wire protocol
Why it's wrong here
Babelfish provides T-SQL compatibility for Aurora PostgreSQL, but it does not guarantee full parity with every commercial engine feature, and it changes the underlying engine. The scenario requires keeping the same engine and minimizing schema changes, which Babelfish cannot promise for all workloads. It is a valid modernization path only when compatibility has been thoroughly validated.
- ✗
Refactor the database to a NoSQL model on Amazon DynamoDB to eliminate instance management entirely
Why it's wrong here
Moving to DynamoDB requires redesigning the schema and rewriting data access code, which is a full refactor rather than a minimal-change migration. The scenario requires keeping the same engine and limiting schema changes, so a NoSQL redesign fails those constraints. It also introduces new access-pattern design work that is out of scope for this migration.
- ✓
Replatform the database to Amazon RDS for the same engine using a vendor-supported instance class, and use Multi-AZ for high availability
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS supports several commercial engines on specific instance classes, and it provides automated backups, patching, and Multi-AZ failover without schema changes. Because the engine stays the same, the application's SQL and drivers remain compatible, satisfying the minimal-change requirement. This reduces operational overhead compared with self-managed EC2 while honoring vendor licensing constraints.
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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
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