SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
A startup is building a web application on AWS that requires a relational database. They expect unpredictable traffic patterns and want to minimize costs while ensuring high availability. Which database solution should they choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'relational database' with 'NoSQL' (DynamoDB) or choose a cheaper but non-HA option (Single-AZ RDS), overlooking that Aurora Serverless uniquely combines relational capabilities, automatic scaling, and built-in high availability at a cost-effective pay-per-request model.
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
✓
Amazon Aurora Serverless (MySQL-compatible)
Amazon Aurora Serverless (MySQL-compatible) is the correct choice because it automatically scales compute capacity based on actual application demand, making it ideal for unpredictable traffic patterns. It provides high availability through multi-AZ storage and automated failover, while minimizing costs by only charging for consumed capacity during active periods.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift with concurrency scaling
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is for analytics, not OLTP.
- ✓
Amazon Aurora Serverless (MySQL-compatible)
Why this is correct
Aurora Serverless provides auto-scaling and high availability, cost-effective for unpredictable traffic.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Single-AZ deployment
Why it's wrong here
Single-AZ lacks high availability; failure would cause downtime.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB with on-demand capacity
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is NoSQL, not relational.
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 |
Go deeper
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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.