The correct choice is to use an RDS Proxy to pool database connections. RDS Proxy sits between your application and the RDS instance, maintaining a warm pool of established connections to the database and reusing them across multiple client requests. This directly reduces idle database connections by eliminating the overhead of opening and closing connections for each application instance, which is the root cause of the periodic slowdowns described. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of connection management under load, often appearing as a distractor where candidates mistakenly increase max_connections—a trap that only compounds resource waste—or migrate to Aurora without addressing the idle connection pattern. Remember the key insight: RDS Proxy is a connection broker, not a database engine upgrade. A useful memory tip is “Proxy pools, Aurora scales”—the proxy handles connection churn, while Aurora handles storage and compute scaling.
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing 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 runs a critical application on an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance. The database experiences periodic slowdowns. The team notices that the DB instance has a large number of connections in an idle state. What is the BEST way to address this issue?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use an RDS Proxy to pool database connections.
Option B is correct because using an RDS Proxy reduces the number of idle connections by pooling and reusing them. Option A is wrong because switching to Aurora may not directly address idle connections. Option C is wrong because increasing max_connections might worsen the problem. Option D is wrong because Lambda is not a database connection management tool.
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.
✗
Migrate the database to Amazon Aurora.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora does not inherently manage idle connections better.
✗
Configure AWS Lambda to manage database connections.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is not a connection pooler; it may create more connections.
✓
Use an RDS Proxy to pool database connections.
Why this is correct
RDS Proxy reduces the number of idle connections by pooling and reusing them.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the max_connections parameter in the DB parameter group.
Why it's wrong here
This allows more connections but does not address idle ones.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use an RDS Proxy to pool database connections. — Option B is correct because using an RDS Proxy reduces the number of idle connections by pooling and reusing them. Option A is wrong because switching to Aurora may not directly address idle connections. Option C is wrong because increasing max_connections might worsen the problem. Option D is wrong because Lambda is not a database connection management tool.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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