- A
Migrate the database to Amazon RDS with a compatible engine and modify connection strings.
Why wrong: The database is not supported by RDS, so this option is not feasible.
- B
Rehost the application on Amazon EC2 instances and migrate the database using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication.
Rehosting on EC2 allows the same database engine, and DMS with replication minimizes downtime.
- C
Refactor the application to use Amazon Aurora and modify the code to use the Aurora query interface.
Why wrong: Refactoring would require significant application changes and is not minimal.
- D
Replace the database with Amazon DynamoDB and rewrite database access layer.
Why wrong: Replacing the database would require application changes and is not minimal.
Rehost Proprietary Database to AWS with Minimal Downtime
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 proprietary database that is not supported by Amazon RDS. The migration must minimize downtime and require minimal changes to the application. Which migration strategy should the company use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Rehost the application on Amazon EC2 instances and migrate the database using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication.
Option B is correct because rehosting (lift-and-shift) the application on Amazon EC2 allows the proprietary database to run without modification. Using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication minimizes downtime by keeping the database synchronized until cutover. Option A is incorrect because the proprietary database is not supported by Amazon RDS, so migrating to RDS is not feasible without changing the database engine. Option C is incorrect because refactoring to Amazon Aurora would require modifying the application code to use Aurora's query interface, resulting in significant changes. Option D is incorrect because replacing the database with Amazon DynamoDB would necessitate rewriting the entire database access layer, which is not minimal change.
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 RDS with a compatible engine and modify connection strings.
Why it's wrong here
The database is not supported by RDS, so this option is not feasible.
- ✓
Rehost the application on Amazon EC2 instances and migrate the database using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication.
Why this is correct
Rehosting on EC2 allows the same database engine, and DMS with replication minimizes downtime.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Refactor the application to use Amazon Aurora and modify the code to use the Aurora query interface.
Why it's wrong here
Refactoring would require significant application changes and is not minimal.
- ✗
Replace the database with Amazon DynamoDB and rewrite database access layer.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the database would require application changes and is not minimal.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
- →
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization 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
Related SAP-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.
Design for New Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Start a free SAP-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Rehost the application on Amazon EC2 instances and migrate the database using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication. — Option B is correct because rehosting (lift-and-shift) the application on Amazon EC2 allows the proprietary database to run without modification. Using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication minimizes downtime by keeping the database synchronized until cutover. Option A is incorrect because the proprietary database is not supported by Amazon RDS, so migrating to RDS is not feasible without changing the database engine. Option C is incorrect because refactoring to Amazon Aurora would require modifying the application code to use Aurora's query interface, resulting in significant changes. Option D is incorrect because replacing the database with Amazon DynamoDB would necessitate rewriting the entire database access layer, which is not minimal change.
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: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 migrating an on-premises monolithic application to AWS. The application uses a legacy database that cannot be easily refactored. The company wants to minimize changes to the application code while gaining scalability and high availability. Which migration strategy should the architect recommend?
medium- ✓ A.Rehost the application on Amazon EC2 and use Amazon RDS for the database.
- B.Replatform the application to use AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Amazon DynamoDB.
- C.Refactor the application to use a microservices architecture with Amazon Aurora.
- D.Retire the application and replace it with a SaaS solution.
Why A: Rehosting (lift-and-shift) involves moving the application and database to AWS infrastructure (EC2 and RDS) with minimal changes. This preserves the legacy database and allows the company to achieve scalability and HA using AWS features like Multi-AZ and Auto Scaling. Replatforming would require modifying the database engine; refactoring involves significant changes; and retiring removes the application.
Variation 2. A company is migrating a legacy on-premises application to AWS. The application uses a proprietary database that runs on a single Windows server. The company wants to minimize downtime and avoid re-architecting the database. Which migration strategy should the solutions architect recommend?
hard- A.Retire the application and replace it with a SaaS solution
- ✓ B.Rehost using AWS Application Migration Service (CloudEndure)
- C.Re-architect the application to use Amazon DynamoDB
- D.Replatform by migrating the database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server
Why B: Rehost (lift-and-shift) is the best option because it moves the application without changes, minimizing downtime and avoiding re-architecture. Replatforming would require some changes, and re-architecting would involve significant rework. Retire is not applicable.
Variation 3. A company is migrating a legacy on-premises application to AWS. The application requires a relational database with Oracle compatibility and the ability to run read replicas across multiple Availability Zones. Which AWS service should the company use to minimize migration effort?
medium- A.Amazon RDS for MySQL
- B.Amazon EC2 with self-managed Oracle
- C.Amazon DynamoDB
- ✓ D.Amazon RDS for Oracle
Why D: Option D is correct because Amazon RDS for Oracle provides a managed Oracle database with Oracle compatibility and supports read replicas across multiple Availability Zones, minimizing migration effort. Option A is wrong because Amazon RDS for MySQL does not offer Oracle compatibility. Option B is wrong because Amazon EC2 with self-managed Oracle requires more operational overhead. Option C is wrong because Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, not relational.
Keep practising
More SAP-C02 practice questions
- A company wants to automate the migration of on-premises servers to AWS. The migration plan includes discovery, assessme…
- A company is using AWS Organizations with hundreds of accounts. The central IT team needs to deploy a common set of AWS…
- A multinational company operates a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team needs to enf…
- A company has a multi-account AWS environment with a centralized logging account. The security team needs to analyze VPC…
- A company has multiple AWS accounts and wants to centralize logging of all API calls. Which TWO services should be used…
- Match each AWS compute service to its use case.
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.