Question 56 of 1,746
Design for New SolutionsmediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Amazon RDS Multi-AZ and Automated Backups

This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 designing a new application that requires a relational database with automated backups and multi-AZ redundancy. The database workload is predictable with occasional read replicas for reporting. Which AWS service should be used?

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 RDS

Amazon RDS is the correct choice because it provides managed relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server) with built-in automated backups and Multi-AZ redundancy for high availability. The workload is predictable and requires occasional read replicas for reporting, both of which are natively supported by RDS without the need for complex configuration.

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.

  • Amazon RDS

    Why this is correct

    RDS provides managed relational databases with multi-AZ and backups.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Amazon Redshift

    Why it's wrong here

    Redshift is for data warehousing, not transactional workloads.

  • Amazon DynamoDB

    Why it's wrong here

    DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, not relational.

  • Amazon ElastiCache

    Why it's wrong here

    ElastiCache is for in-memory caching, not a primary database.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may confuse Amazon Redshift's columnar storage and read replica-like features (e.g., concurrency scaling) with a relational database, but Redshift is not designed for transactional workloads or automated Multi-AZ failover.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Amazon RDS Multi-AZ deployments use synchronous replication to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone, ensuring automatic failover with zero data loss (RPO=0) and minimal downtime (RTO typically 1-2 minutes). Read replicas use asynchronous replication and can be promoted to standalone instances, making them ideal for offloading reporting traffic without impacting the primary database's performance. Under the hood, RDS manages the underlying EC2 instances, EBS volumes, and automatic backup windows, with retention up to 35 days for automated backups.

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

An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.

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.

Related practice questions

Related SAP-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Practice this exam

Start a free SAP-C02 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SAP-C02 question test?

Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Amazon RDS — Amazon RDS is the correct choice because it provides managed relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server) with built-in automated backups and Multi-AZ redundancy for high availability. The workload is predictable and requires occasional read replicas for reporting, both of which are natively supported by RDS without the need for complex configuration.

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.

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 →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

More SAP-C02 practice questions

Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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.

Loading comments…

Sign in to join the discussion.

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.