- A
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for continuous replication to us-west-2
Why wrong: DMS is for migration, not DR, and adds cost.
- B
Use a cross-region read replica in us-west-2 with MySQL asynchronous replication
Read replica provides near real-time replication and fast promotion.
- C
Use automated backups and restore to us-west-2 when needed
Why wrong: Restore from backup takes longer than 15 minutes.
- D
Use a Multi-AZ deployment in us-east-1 and failover to a standby instance
Why wrong: Multi-AZ is within region, not cross-region DR.
Question 1,027 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new 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 is designing a disaster recovery solution for a critical application running on Amazon EC2. The application uses an Amazon RDS for MySQL database. The recovery time objective (RTO) is 15 minutes, and the recovery point objective (RPO) is 1 hour. The primary region is us-east-1, and the secondary region is us-west-2. Which solution meets the requirements with the LOWEST cost?
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 a cross-region read replica in us-west-2 with MySQL asynchronous replication
Option B is correct because a cross-region read replica in us-west-2 with MySQL asynchronous replication meets the RPO of 1 hour and RTO of 15 minutes at the lowest cost. Asynchronous replication provides near-real-time data transfer with minimal overhead, and the read replica can be promoted to a standalone primary instance in minutes, satisfying the RTO. This approach avoids the continuous data transfer costs of DMS and the storage costs of Multi-AZ, while automated backups alone cannot meet the RPO.
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.
- ✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for continuous replication to us-west-2
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for migration, not DR, and adds cost.
- ✓
Use a cross-region read replica in us-west-2 with MySQL asynchronous replication
Why this is correct
Read replica provides near real-time replication and fast promotion.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use automated backups and restore to us-west-2 when needed
Why it's wrong here
Restore from backup takes longer than 15 minutes.
- ✗
Use a Multi-AZ deployment in us-east-1 and failover to a standby instance
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ is within region, not cross-region DR.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose Multi-AZ (Option D) thinking it provides cross-region DR, but Multi-AZ is a single-region HA feature with synchronous replication, not a cross-region DR solution, and it cannot meet the requirement for a secondary region.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Amazon RDS for MySQL cross-region read replicas use MySQL's native asynchronous replication, which transmits binary log (binlog) events from the primary to the replica with a typical lag of seconds to minutes, easily meeting a 1-hour RPO. The promotion of a read replica to a standalone instance involves a simple API call that completes in under 15 minutes, as it applies any remaining binlog events and makes the instance writable. In a real-world scenario, if the primary region fails, you would promote the replica, update DNS (e.g., Route 53 failover), and redirect application traffic, all within the RTO.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Visual reference
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.
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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 a cross-region read replica in us-west-2 with MySQL asynchronous replication — Option B is correct because a cross-region read replica in us-west-2 with MySQL asynchronous replication meets the RPO of 1 hour and RTO of 15 minutes at the lowest cost. Asynchronous replication provides near-real-time data transfer with minimal overhead, and the read replica can be promoted to a standalone primary instance in minutes, satisfying the RTO. This approach avoids the continuous data transfer costs of DMS and the storage costs of Multi-AZ, while automated backups alone cannot meet the RPO.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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