Cross-Region Relational Database with Aurora Global Database
A company is designing a new application on AWS that requires a relational database with read replicas across multiple AWS Regions. The database must have automated failover and a recovery point objective (RPO) of less than 5 seconds. Which database solution should the company choose?
Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon Aurora Global Database because it is the only AWS relational database service that provides cross-region read replicas with automated failover and a recovery point objective (RPO) of less than 1 second, easily meeting the requirement of under 5 seconds. This is achieved through a dedicated, fast replication channel that writes data to secondary regions with minimal lag, enabling failover in under one minute without data loss. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of disaster recovery patterns and the specific capabilities of Aurora Global Database versus services like RDS Multi-AZ or DynamoDB Global Tables, which either lack cross-region read replicas or are non-relational. A common trap is choosing RDS with cross-region read replicas, but those lack automated failover and have higher RPO due to asynchronous replication. Memory tip: think “Global Aurora, sub-second RPO, automated failover in a minute.”
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse Multi-AZ failover (which is Region-bound) with cross-Region failover, or they assume that RDS cross-Region read replicas can achieve the same low RPO as Aurora Global Database, but RDS cross-Region replication is asynchronous and cannot guarantee sub-5-second RPO.
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 Global Database
Amazon Aurora Global Database is the correct choice because it is designed for cross-Region replication with a typical RPO of less than 1 second and automated failover from the primary Region to a secondary Region in under 1 minute. This meets the requirement for a relational database with read replicas across multiple Regions and an RPO of less than 5 seconds, as Aurora Global Database uses a dedicated, fast replication channel that minimizes lag.
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 Aurora Global Database
Why this is correct
Aurora Global Database replicates at the storage layer with a typical cross-Region lag under one second, comfortably meeting the sub-5-second RPO. It also provides managed failover, promoting a secondary Region to primary in under a minute, satisfying the automated failover and multi-Region read replica requirements.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ and cross-Region read replicas
Why it's wrong here
RDS for MySQL cross-Region read replicas use asynchronous replication, so replica lag can exceed the five-second RPO, and promoting a replica is a manual failover. Aurora Global Database provides sub-second replication and managed failover. It is tempting because Multi-AZ plus cross-Region replicas covers availability and read scaling, but not the stated RPO.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL with cross-Region read replicas and Multi-AZ
Why it's wrong here
RDS for PostgreSQL cross-Region read replicas replicate asynchronously, so lag can breach the five-second RPO, and failover to a cross-Region replica requires manual promotion. Aurora Global Database delivers sub-second replication with managed failover. It is tempting because Multi-AZ plus cross-Region replicas addresses availability and read scaling, but not the stated RPO.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB Global Tables
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB Global Tables is a NoSQL key-value store, so it cannot satisfy the requirement for a relational database with SQL schemas and joins. Aurora Global Database is the relational answer. It is tempting because Global Tables offers multi-Region active-active replication with low latency, but the engine type disqualifies it here.
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on SAP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is designing a disaster recovery solution for a web application hosted on AWS. The primary site is in us-east-1 and the DR site is in us-west-2. The application uses an Amazon RDS for MySQL database. They need to recover the database with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 5 seconds and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 1 hour. Which solution meets these requirements?
medium- A.Use RDS Multi-AZ in us-east-1 and failover to DR site.
- B.Use AWS DMS with ongoing replication to an RDS instance in us-west-2.
- ✓ C.Use RDS Cross-Region Read Replica and promote it.
- D.Use Amazon Aurora Global Database.
Why C: RDS Cross-Region Read Replicas use asynchronous replication with a typical lag of under a second, easily meeting the 5-second RPO, and promotion takes minutes, well within the 1-hour RTO. This is the standard AWS-native solution for cross-region MySQL DR when the primary is standard RDS (not Aurora). The replica can also serve read traffic in the DR region, improving cost efficiency.
Variation 2. A financial services company is designing a multi-tier application that must achieve a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 1 hour and a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 15 minutes for a database tier. The application uses Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment. Which disaster recovery strategy meets these requirements at the LOWEST cost?
hard- A.Deploy the RDS instance in Multi-AZ configuration and take frequent snapshots to another Region.
- B.Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for continuous replication to an RDS instance in another Region.
- C.Use Amazon Aurora Global Database, which provides global replication with typical RPO of 1 second.
- ✓ D.Create a cross-Region read replica of the RDS MySQL instance in another Region. In a disaster, promote the read replica to a standalone instance.
Why D: A cross-Region read replica for Amazon RDS MySQL provides asynchronous replication with an RPO typically under 15 minutes, and promoting it during a disaster can achieve an RTO of 1 hour. This approach incurs only the cost of the replica instance and cross-Region data transfer, making it the lowest-cost option that meets the stated RTO and RPO requirements.
JA
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.