Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon RDS with read replicas. This configuration is correct because a read-heavy relational database with low latency requires offloading read traffic from the primary instance to multiple read replicas, which scale read capacity horizontally and reduce latency by distributing the load across synchronized copies of the data. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of when to scale reads versus writes—a common trap is choosing Amazon DynamoDB DAX or ElastiCache, but the question explicitly requires a relational database, so RDS read replicas are the only fit. A key memory tip: if the workload is read-heavy and relational, think "replicas for reads, Aurora for auto-scaling."
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 application that requires a relational database with high read capacity. The application is read-heavy and requires low latency. Which database configuration should be used?
Amazon RDS with read replicas
Read replicas scale read capacity.
Amazon DynamoDB with DAX
Why wrong: DynamoDB is NoSQL, not relational.
Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deployment
Why wrong: Multi-AZ is for high availability, not read scaling.
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why wrong: ElastiCache is a cache, not a relational database.
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 RDS with read replicas
Amazon RDS with read replicas is the correct choice because the application is read-heavy and requires low latency. Read replicas offload read traffic from the primary database instance, scaling read capacity and reducing latency for read operations by distributing the load across multiple copies of the data.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon RDS with read replicas
Why this is correct
Read replicas scale read capacity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon DynamoDB with DAX
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is NoSQL, not relational.
Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ deployment
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ is for high availability, not read scaling.
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is a cache, not a relational database.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Multi-AZ deployments with read replicas, assuming Multi-AZ also improves read performance, but Multi-AZ only provides failover redundancy and does not offload read traffic.
Detailed technical explanation
Amazon RDS read replicas use asynchronous replication from the source DB instance to the read replica, which can be promoted to a standalone instance if needed. For MySQL and MariaDB, replication is based on binary log (binlog) position, while for PostgreSQL, it uses streaming replication. Read replicas can be placed in different AWS Regions to serve global read traffic with lower latency, and they support up to 15 replicas per source instance for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and Oracle.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon RDS with read replicas — Amazon RDS with read replicas is the correct choice because the application is read-heavy and requires low latency. Read replicas offload read traffic from the primary database instance, scaling read capacity and reducing latency for read operations by distributing the load across multiple copies of the data.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Same concept, more angles
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 new application that requires a relational database with automated backups and multi-AZ redundancy. The database workload is predictable with occasional read replicas for reporting. Which AWS service should be used?
mediumWhy A: Option C is correct because Amazon RDS offers managed relational databases with automated backups and multi-AZ deployments. Option A is wrong because DynamoDB is NoSQL, not relational. Option B is wrong because Redshift is a data warehouse. Option D is wrong because ElastiCache is for caching.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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.
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