SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. They need to minimize downtime and ensure data integrity. Which AWS service should they use for the migration?
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 Database Migration Service (DMS)
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) supports homogeneous and heterogeneous migrations with minimal downtime. Option A is wrong because SCT only helps with schema conversion, not the actual data migration. Option C is wrong because DataSync is for file storage, not databases. Option D is wrong because Snowball Edge is for large-scale offline data transfer, not online database migration.
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 Schema Conversion Tool (SCT)
Why it's wrong here
SCT only converts database schemas and code from Oracle to PostgreSQL; it does not replicate data or cut over, so it cannot minimise downtime or preserve integrity during migration. It is tempting as a migration tool, and would be correct for assessing and converting schema objects before the data move.
- ✓
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why this is correct
DMS performs continuous change data capture from the source Oracle database, replicating ongoing transactions to Aurora PostgreSQL until cutover. This satisfies the minimal-downtime and data-integrity constraints, unlike a one-off snapshot export, because replication keeps the target synchronised right up to the switch.
- ✗
AWS DataSync
Why it's wrong here
DataSync transfers files and objects to AWS storage services; it cannot replicate an Oracle database into Aurora PostgreSQL or maintain transactional integrity. It is tempting as a data-movement service, and would be correct for migrating file shares or on-premises datasets to Amazon S3 or EFS.
- ✗
AWS Snowball Edge
Why it's wrong here
Snowball Edge physically ships data on appliance hardware, so it cannot perform a live Oracle-to-Aurora PostgreSQL schema conversion or continuous replication, and the cutover would require an offline window. It suits bulk petabyte transfers into S3 where network bandwidth is the constraint, not a heterogeneous database migration needing minimal downtime.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.