- A
Upload the database dump directly to an S3 bucket using multipart upload.
Why wrong: A 2 TB database over 100 Mbps would take over 2 days just to upload, and downtime would be significant.
- B
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to migrate the data with minimal downtime.
DMS can perform a full load and then continuously replicate changes, allowing a cutover with minimal downtime.
- C
Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer the data offline.
Why wrong: Snowball Edge is for large offline transfers but shipping and processing can take multiple days, not meeting the one-week timeline.
- D
Use S3 Transfer Acceleration to speed up the upload of the dump file.
Why wrong: Transfer Acceleration improves upload speed but still limited by the 100 Mbps internet connection.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 migrating its on-premises Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The database is 2 TB in size and has a 100 Mbps internet connection. The migration must be completed within a week and have minimal downtime. Which AWS service should the company use to transfer the initial database dump to AWS?
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
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to migrate the data with minimal downtime.
AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture) is the correct choice because it allows the initial full load of the 2 TB database to be migrated while continuously capturing and applying changes from the source Oracle database. This minimizes downtime to a brief cutover window, meeting the requirement of minimal downtime. The 100 Mbps internet connection is sufficient for the initial load over a week (2 TB at 100 Mbps ≈ 2.3 days theoretical), and DMS handles the schema conversion and data transfer natively without requiring manual dump files.
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.
- ✗
Upload the database dump directly to an S3 bucket using multipart upload.
Why it's wrong here
A 2 TB database over 100 Mbps would take over 2 days just to upload, and downtime would be significant.
- ✓
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to migrate the data with minimal downtime.
Why this is correct
DMS can perform a full load and then continuously replicate changes, allowing a cutover with minimal downtime.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer the data offline.
Why it's wrong here
Snowball Edge is for large offline transfers but shipping and processing can take multiple days, not meeting the one-week timeline.
- ✗
Use S3 Transfer Acceleration to speed up the upload of the dump file.
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration improves upload speed but still limited by the 100 Mbps internet connection.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a direct upload to S3 or Snowball is faster for large datasets, but they overlook the critical requirement of minimal downtime, which only DMS with ongoing replication can satisfy by keeping the source database online during migration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS DMS uses a replication instance to connect to the source Oracle database via Oracle LogMiner or binary reader to capture changes in near real-time. During the full load phase, DMS creates multiple tables in parallel using configurable task settings (e.g., MaxFullLoadSubTasks), which can saturate the 100 Mbps link efficiently. The ongoing replication phase uses change data capture (CDC) to apply transactions from the Oracle redo logs, allowing the target RDS instance to stay synchronized with minimal lag until cutover.
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
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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Design for New Solutions practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SAP-C02 questions
1,746 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SAP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
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.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.
Design for New Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
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: Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to migrate the data with minimal downtime. — AWS DMS with ongoing replication (change data capture) is the correct choice because it allows the initial full load of the 2 TB database to be migrated while continuously capturing and applying changes from the source Oracle database. This minimizes downtime to a brief cutover window, meeting the requirement of minimal downtime. The 100 Mbps internet connection is sufficient for the initial load over a week (2 TB at 100 Mbps ≈ 2.3 days theoretical), and DMS handles the schema conversion and data transfer natively without requiring manual dump files.
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 →
Keep practising
More SAP-C02 practice questions
- A company wants to automate the migration of on-premises servers to AWS. The migration plan includes discovery, assessme…
- A company is using AWS Organizations with hundreds of accounts. The central IT team needs to deploy a common set of AWS…
- A multinational company operates a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team needs to enf…
- A company has a multi-account AWS environment with a centralized logging account. The security team needs to analyze VPC…
- A company has multiple AWS accounts and wants to centralize logging of all API calls. Which TWO services should be used…
- Match each AWS compute service to its use case.
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.
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.
Sign in to join the discussion.