- A
Create an RDS MySQL cross-region read replica in the secondary region and promote it during a disaster.
Why wrong: Cross-region read replicas have asynchronous replication with RPO potentially >5 seconds.
- B
Take manual snapshots of the RDS instance every 5 seconds and copy them to the secondary region.
Why wrong: Manual snapshots are not feasible every 5 seconds and have high RTO.
- C
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to continuously replicate to a database in the secondary region.
Why wrong: DMS is for migration, not optimized for DR with such low RPO/RTO.
- D
Use Amazon Aurora Global Database with a primary instance in the primary region and one secondary in the secondary region.
Aurora Global Database provides low-latency replication and fast failover.
Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon Aurora Global Database because it is the only AWS service that can achieve a multi-region disaster recovery RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 minute for RDS MySQL. Aurora Global Database uses storage-level replication that typically lags under one second, and promoting a secondary region cluster completes failover in about one minute, bypassing the replication lag and manual promotion delays of cross-region read replicas or DMS-based replication. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the strict latency and failover requirements that rule out standard RDS Multi-AZ or cross-region replicas, which cannot meet a sub-second RPO or a one-minute RTO across regions. A common trap is assuming that RDS Multi-AZ in the primary region plus a cross-region read replica can achieve this, but that setup incurs asynchronous replication lag and a longer promotion time. Memory tip: “Global Aurora glides under a second and fails over in a minute.”
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 multi-region disaster recovery solution for a critical application. The application uses Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ in the primary region. The recovery point objective (RPO) is 5 seconds, and the recovery time objective (RTO) is 1 minute. Which solution meets these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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 Amazon Aurora Global Database with a primary instance in the primary region and one secondary in the secondary region.
Amazon Aurora Global Database is the only solution that can achieve an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 minute for a multi-region disaster recovery setup. It uses storage-based replication with typical latency under 1 second, and failover to a secondary region can be completed in about 1 minute by promoting the secondary cluster. Aurora Global Database also avoids the replication lag and promotion delays inherent in cross-region read replicas or DMS-based replication.
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.
- ✗
Create an RDS MySQL cross-region read replica in the secondary region and promote it during a disaster.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region read replicas have asynchronous replication with RPO potentially >5 seconds.
- ✗
Take manual snapshots of the RDS instance every 5 seconds and copy them to the secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
Manual snapshots are not feasible every 5 seconds and have high RTO.
- ✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to continuously replicate to a database in the secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for migration, not optimized for DR with such low RPO/RTO.
- ✓
Use Amazon Aurora Global Database with a primary instance in the primary region and one secondary in the secondary region.
Why this is correct
Aurora Global Database provides low-latency replication and fast failover.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a cross-region read replica (Option A) can meet a 5-second RPO because MySQL replication is 'near real-time,' but in practice, replication lag is unpredictable and often exceeds 5 seconds, especially during peak loads or network issues.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Aurora Global Database leverages a dedicated, storage-level replication channel that writes data to the primary cluster's storage layer and asynchronously replicates to the secondary region's storage, achieving typical lag of less than 1 second. During a disaster, you can promote the secondary cluster to a standalone primary in under 1 minute by issuing the failover command, which does not require replaying binary logs or rebuilding indexes. In contrast, RDS MySQL cross-region read replicas rely on MySQL native asynchronous replication, which can lag significantly under write-heavy workloads, and promotion requires stopping replication and applying any backlogged transactions.
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.
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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: Use Amazon Aurora Global Database with a primary instance in the primary region and one secondary in the secondary region. — Amazon Aurora Global Database is the only solution that can achieve an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 minute for a multi-region disaster recovery setup. It uses storage-based replication with typical latency under 1 second, and failover to a secondary region can be completed in about 1 minute by promoting the secondary cluster. Aurora Global Database also avoids the replication lag and promotion delays inherent in cross-region read replicas or DMS-based replication.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
3 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 critical database using Amazon RDS Multi-AZ. However, they also need to protect against regional failures. Which additional AWS service should they use?
hard- A.RDS Multi-AZ in the same region
- ✓ B.RDS Cross-Region Read Replicas
- C.Amazon S3
- D.AWS Database Migration Service
Why B: Option B is correct because RDS Cross-Region Read Replicas provide a secondary database in another region for DR. Option A is wrong because Multi-AZ only protects within a single region. Option C is wrong because DMS is for migration, not DR. Option D is wrong because S3 is not a database DR solution.
Variation 2. A company is designing a multi-region disaster recovery solution for a critical application using Amazon RDS for MySQL. They need a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of less than 5 seconds and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of less than 1 minute. Which solution should they choose?
hard- ✓ A.Use Amazon RDS with cross-Region read replicas and promote the replica to a primary instance in a disaster.
- B.Use Amazon Aurora Global Database.
- C.Use Amazon RDS with automated backups and restore in another Region.
- D.Use Amazon RDS Multi-AZ with a standby in a different AWS Region.
Why A: Amazon RDS Multi-AZ with a standby replica in a different region is not supported. However, cross-region read replicas can be promoted to a standalone instance in a disaster. For low RPO/RTO, using a cross-region read replica with automatic failover via Route 53 can achieve near-real-time replication and fast failover.
Variation 3. A company is designing a new multi-region disaster recovery solution for a critical database. The database runs on Amazon RDS for MySQL in us-east-1. The recovery point objective (RPO) is 1 second, and the recovery time objective (RTO) is 1 minute. Which strategy meets these requirements?
hard- A.Single-AZ RDS instance with cross-Region snapshot copy
- B.Multi-AZ RDS instance in us-east-1
- ✓ C.Multi-AZ RDS instance with a cross-Region read replica in us-west-2
- D.Amazon Aurora Global Database
Why C: Option C is correct because Multi-AZ with a cross-Region read replica provides low RPO (via synchronous replication within the region and asynchronous to the replica) and fast failover (RTO ~1 minute). Option A (single-AZ with cross-Region snapshot) has higher RPO/RTO. Option B (Multi-AZ only) does not cover another region. Option D (Aurora Global Database) is for Aurora, not RDS MySQL.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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