- A
Migrate the database from RDS MySQL to Amazon Aurora MySQL with read replicas.
Why wrong: Aurora may improve performance but does not address connection pooling; the application still opens too many connections.
- B
Increase the max_connections parameter in the RDS parameter group to allow more connections.
Why wrong: This treats the symptom, not the cause; it may lead to resource exhaustion and does not fix connection leaks.
- C
Scale the application tier horizontally by increasing the desired capacity of the Auto Scaling group.
Why wrong: More instances will create more connections, exacerbating the database load.
- D
Configure Amazon RDS Proxy to pool database connections from the application tier.
RDS Proxy manages connection pooling, reducing the number of connections and CPU usage with minimal code changes.
Quick Answer
The correct solution is to configure Amazon RDS Proxy to pool database connections from the application tier. This directly addresses the root cause by implementing database connection pooling, which reuses existing connections instead of opening a new one per request, thereby reducing both CPU utilization and the number of connections hitting the RDS instance. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to decouple application connection churn from database limits without rewriting code—a common trap is to suggest scaling the application tier or increasing max connections, which only worsens resource contention. Remember that RDS Proxy sits between your application and the database, transparently managing connection reuse and minimizing overhead. A useful memory tip: think of RDS Proxy as a "bouncer" for your database—it lets only a few connections inside while serving many requests, preventing the "door slam" of 503 errors.
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 has a multi-tier application running on AWS. The web tier uses an Application Load Balancer (ALB) with an Auto Scaling group of EC2 instances. The application tier runs on a separate Auto Scaling group of EC2 instances. The database tier uses Amazon RDS for MySQL. During a recent load test, the application became unresponsive. Monitoring showed that the database's CPU utilization was at 100% and the number of database connections was at the maximum limit. The application tier instances were healthy, but the web tier instances were returning 503 errors. The Solutions Architect determined that the application tier was making too many database connections because each request opened a new connection and did not close it properly. The team wants to fix the issue with minimal changes to the application code. Which solution should the Solutions Architect recommend?
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
Configure Amazon RDS Proxy to pool database connections from the application tier.
Option C is correct. Using Amazon RDS Proxy allows connection pooling, reducing the number of database connections and reusing connections, which reduces CPU load on the database. It requires minimal code changes. Option A is wrong because increasing the max connections limit does not address the root cause; it may lead to more resource contention. Option B is wrong because scaling the application tier horizontally will increase the number of connections further, making the problem worse. Option D is wrong because switching to Aurora does not inherently solve connection management; RDS Proxy is still needed.
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.
- ✗
Migrate the database from RDS MySQL to Amazon Aurora MySQL with read replicas.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora may improve performance but does not address connection pooling; the application still opens too many connections.
- ✗
Increase the max_connections parameter in the RDS parameter group to allow more connections.
Why it's wrong here
This treats the symptom, not the cause; it may lead to resource exhaustion and does not fix connection leaks.
- ✗
Scale the application tier horizontally by increasing the desired capacity of the Auto Scaling group.
Why it's wrong here
More instances will create more connections, exacerbating the database load.
- ✓
Configure Amazon RDS Proxy to pool database connections from the application tier.
Why this is correct
RDS Proxy manages connection pooling, reducing the number of connections and CPU usage with minimal code changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — study guide chapter
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Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure Amazon RDS Proxy to pool database connections from the application tier. — Option C is correct. Using Amazon RDS Proxy allows connection pooling, reducing the number of database connections and reusing connections, which reduces CPU load on the database. It requires minimal code changes. Option A is wrong because increasing the max connections limit does not address the root cause; it may lead to more resource contention. Option B is wrong because scaling the application tier horizontally will increase the number of connections further, making the problem worse. Option D is wrong because switching to Aurora does not inherently solve connection management; RDS Proxy is still needed.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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