The answer is to rehost the .NET application on Amazon EC2 and the SQL Server database on EC2 using Bring Your Own License (BYOL). This strategy minimizes refactoring and licensing costs because a lift-and-shift approach avoids rewriting complex stored procedures or decoupling tightly coupled components, while BYOL allows you to apply existing SQL Server licenses to reduce software expenses. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of migration strategies under the 7 Rs, specifically when the business driver is speed and cost reduction rather than modernization. A common trap is to choose a re-platforming option like Amazon RDS for SQL Server, which would require license conversion or refactoring of stored procedures. Remember the memory tip: “Lift and shift, BYOL is the gift” — when the goal is to avoid code changes and cut licensing costs, rehosting on EC2 with BYOL is the direct path.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 monolithic .NET application to AWS. The application uses a SQL Server database with complex stored procedures and tightly coupled components. The migration team wants to minimize refactoring and reduce licensing costs. Which migration strategy should the team use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Rehost the application on Amazon EC2 and the database on EC2 with SQL Server using Bring Your Own License (BYOL).
Option B is correct because rehosting (lift-and-shift) the monolithic .NET application on Amazon EC2 and the SQL Server database on EC2 with BYOL minimizes refactoring effort and reduces licensing costs by leveraging existing SQL Server licenses. This strategy avoids the complexity of rewriting stored procedures or decoupling tightly coupled components, which is critical for a migration focused on speed and cost reduction.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Refactor the application to .NET Core and use Amazon RDS for MySQL to eliminate Windows licensing.
Why it's wrong here
Refactoring is significant and MySQL may not support all stored procedures.
✓
Rehost the application on Amazon EC2 and the database on EC2 with SQL Server using Bring Your Own License (BYOL).
Why this is correct
This minimizes changes and leverages existing licenses.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Rearchitect the application to microservices and use Amazon DynamoDB for the database.
Why it's wrong here
Rearchitecting is too disruptive for minimizing refactoring.
✗
Replatform the database to Amazon Aurora with PostgreSQL compatibility to reduce licensing costs.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora PostgreSQL would require rewriting stored procedures and may not be compatible.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose replatforming (Option D) thinking it reduces licensing costs, but they overlook the need to refactor SQL Server-specific stored procedures for PostgreSQL compatibility, which violates the 'minimize refactoring' requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, rehosting on EC2 with BYOL allows the company to use their existing SQL Server licenses under Microsoft's License Mobility through Software Assurance, avoiding new licensing costs. The tightly coupled components and complex stored procedures remain unchanged, preserving the application's runtime behavior without requiring schema or query rewrites. In a real-world scenario, this approach is ideal when the migration timeline is tight and the team lacks resources for code modifications, as it leverages the same OS and database engine versions.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Rehost the application on Amazon EC2 and the database on EC2 with SQL Server using Bring Your Own License (BYOL). — Option B is correct because rehosting (lift-and-shift) the monolithic .NET application on Amazon EC2 and the SQL Server database on EC2 with BYOL minimizes refactoring effort and reduces licensing costs by leveraging existing SQL Server licenses. This strategy avoids the complexity of rewriting stored procedures or decoupling tightly coupled components, which is critical for a migration focused on speed and cost reduction.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is migrating a .NET application from Windows Server to AWS. The application uses SQL Server and needs to run on Amazon EC2. The company wants to reduce licensing costs. Which Amazon EC2 instance type should the company use?
medium
A.C5
✓ B.T3
C.A1
D.I3
Why B: Option C is correct because T3 instances are burstable and cost-effective for workloads with moderate CPU usage. Option A is wrong because A1 instances are ARM-based and may not support .NET. Option B is wrong because C5 instances are compute-optimized and may be overkill. Option D is wrong because I3 instances are storage-optimized and not cost-effective.
Variation 2. A company is migrating a .NET application from Windows Server to AWS. The application uses Microsoft SQL Server. The company wants to reduce licensing costs and minimize operational overhead. Which migration strategy should be recommended?
medium
A.Replatform to Amazon RDS for SQL Server
B.Refactor the application to .NET Core on Amazon Linux
✓ C.Replatform to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
D.Rehost to Amazon EC2 with SQL Server on Windows
Why C: Option A (Replatform to Amazon RDS for SQL Server) reduces operational overhead but not licensing costs. Option D (Replatform to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL) reduces licensing costs because PostgreSQL is open-source, and minimizes overhead. Option B (rehost) keeps high licensing. Option C (refactor to .NET Core on Linux) may require significant changes.
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.