- A
Amazon RDS
RDS provides managed relational databases with multi-AZ and backups.
- B
Amazon Redshift
Why wrong: Redshift is for data warehousing, not transactional workloads.
- C
Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, not relational.
- D
Amazon ElastiCache
Why wrong: ElastiCache is for in-memory caching, not a primary database.
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.
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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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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