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 can only be created from an existing Aurora or RDS DB cluster; they cannot attach to an on-premises PostgreSQL instance over VPN. It is tempting because replicas provide low-latency replication within AWS, which would minimise downtime, but the source must already be an AWS-managed engine.
- ✓
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
AWS DMS continuous replication keeps the target in sync while the source stays live, so only a brief cutover is needed. This satisfies the minimal-downtime requirement, and the weekend maintenance window provides the safe switchover point while preserving data consistency.
- ✗
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
A full-load-only DMS task copies existing rows once and captures no ongoing changes, so writes made during the 2 TB transfer never reach Aurora, breaking consistency at cutover. It is tempting because SCT plus DMS is the standard homogeneous migration path, but ongoing replication is required to keep the target current.
- ✗
Perform a full pg_dump of the on-premises database and restore it to Aurora using pg_restore.
Why it's wrong here
pg_dump and pg_restore copy a point-in-time snapshot, so writes occurring during the multi-hour 2 TB transfer are lost, requiring an outage to freeze the source. It suits small databases or logical backups where downtime is acceptable, but not a cutover demanding minimal downtime and consistency.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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