Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon DynamoDB, as it is the only fully managed NoSQL database on AWS that natively supports high availability and automatic scaling for microservices on Amazon EKS. DynamoDB’s key-value and document data model aligns perfectly with stateless, decoupled microservice architectures, while its on-demand capacity mode and global tables eliminate the need for manual scaling or cross-region replication management. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between relational and NoSQL services under the “Design for New Solutions” domain, with a common trap being DocumentDB—though it is NoSQL, it is MongoDB-compatible and less serverless than DynamoDB, which is the better fit for EKS-based microservices requiring zero provisioning. A useful memory tip: for microservices on EKS, think “DynamoDB for decoupled, serverless NoSQL”—the “D” stands for both Dynamo and Decoupled.
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 migrating a legacy on-premises application to AWS. The application uses a monolithic architecture and a MySQL database. The company wants to refactor the application into microservices and use a NoSQL database for better scalability. The new application will be deployed on Amazon EKS. The database must be highly available and support automatic scaling. Which database service should the company use?
Amazon Aurora Serverless
Why wrong: Aurora is relational, not NoSQL.
Amazon DynamoDB
DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database with high availability and auto scaling.
Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility)
Why wrong: DocumentDB is NoSQL but DynamoDB is more appropriate for microservices due to its serverless nature.
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment
Why wrong: RDS is relational, not NoSQL.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon DynamoDB
Option D is correct because Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL database that supports high availability and automatic scaling. Option A: RDS for MySQL is relational, not NoSQL. Option B: Aurora is relational. Option C: DocumentDB is NoSQL but is MongoDB-compatible; DynamoDB is more fully managed and serverless.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon Aurora Serverless
Why it's wrong here
Aurora is relational, not NoSQL.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why this is correct
DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database with high availability and auto scaling.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility)
Why it's wrong here
DocumentDB is NoSQL but DynamoDB is more appropriate for microservices due to its serverless nature.
Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment
Why it's wrong here
RDS is relational, not NoSQL.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Amazon DynamoDB — Option D is correct because Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL database that supports high availability and automatic scaling. Option A: RDS for MySQL is relational, not NoSQL. Option B: Aurora is relational. Option C: DocumentDB is NoSQL but is MongoDB-compatible; DynamoDB is more fully managed and serverless.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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
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.
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.