SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating its on-premises PostgreSQL database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The database is 2 TB in size and has a 24-hour maintenance window on weekends. The company needs to minimize downtime and ensure data consistency. Which strategy should the solutions architect recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume a full dump and restore (pg_dump/pg_restore) is the simplest approach, but they overlook the massive downtime it requires for a 2 TB database, whereas DMS with CDC is designed specifically to minimize downtime for large-scale migrations.
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
✓
Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication from the on-premises database to Aurora, then perform a cutover during the maintenance window.
AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture, CDC) allows the on-premises PostgreSQL database to be continuously synchronized with the target Aurora PostgreSQL cluster, minimizing downtime. When the cutover is performed during the 24-hour maintenance window, data consistency is ensured because all changes up to that point have been replicated. This approach avoids the need for a lengthy full database dump and restore, which would cause extended 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.
- ✗
Create an Aurora read replica from the on-premises database using a VPN connection.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora read replicas cannot be created from an external on-premises database; they are for Aurora clusters.
- ✓
Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication from the on-premises database to Aurora, then perform a cutover during the maintenance window.
Why this is correct
Ongoing replication keeps data in sync with minimal downtime during cutover, leveraging the maintenance window.
- ✗
Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (AWS SCT) to convert the schema and then use AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) with full load only.
Why it's wrong here
AWS SCT handles schema conversion, but full load only does not minimize downtime; ongoing replication is needed.
- ✗
Perform a full pg_dump of the on-premises database and restore it to Aurora using pg_restore.
Why it's wrong here
This requires significant downtime during dump and restore; not optimal for minimizing downtime.
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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.