The answer is to grant the Lambda function’s IAM role permission to retrieve the secret from Secrets Manager, store the RDS credentials in Secrets Manager with automatic rotation enabled, and configure the rotation schedule for every 30 days. This works because Secrets Manager natively handles credential rotation for Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, generating new passwords and updating the database without any custom code in Lambda. The Lambda function simply calls the GetSecretValue API at runtime to fetch the current credentials, so its IAM role only needs secretsmanager:GetSecretValue access—not direct RDS access for credential management. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the separation of concerns between compute and secrets management; a common trap is assuming Lambda must rotate credentials itself or that it needs direct RDS permissions for the rotation process. Remember the mnemonic “Lambda Lifts, Secrets Rotates”—Lambda only lifts the current secret, while Secrets Manager handles the rotation cycle.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
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 serverless application using AWS Lambda. The application needs to access an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database. The database credentials must be rotated automatically every 30 days. Which THREE steps should the company take to securely manage the credentials? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Store the database credentials in AWS Secrets Manager.
Options A, C, and D are correct. Store credentials in Secrets Manager, configure automatic rotation, and grant Lambda access to retrieve secrets via IAM policy. Option B is wrong because Lambda does not need direct access to RDS for credential management. Option E is wrong because rotation is handled by Secrets Manager, not by Lambda.
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.
✓
Store the database credentials in AWS Secrets Manager.
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager is designed for storing secrets.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Configure automatic rotation for the secret in AWS Secrets Manager.
Why this is correct
Automates credential rotation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Grant the Lambda function's IAM role permission to access the RDS database directly.
Why it's wrong here
Not needed for credential management.
✗
Write custom rotation logic in the Lambda function to change the database password.
Why it's wrong here
Rotation is handled by Secrets Manager, not by Lambda.
✓
Grant the Lambda function's IAM role permission to retrieve the secret from Secrets Manager.
Why this is correct
Necessary for Lambda to access the credentials.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
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: Store the database credentials in AWS Secrets Manager. — Options A, C, and D are correct. Store credentials in Secrets Manager, configure automatic rotation, and grant Lambda access to retrieve secrets via IAM policy. Option B is wrong because Lambda does not need direct access to RDS for credential management. Option E is wrong because rotation is handled by Secrets Manager, not by Lambda.
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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Question Discussion
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