The correct answer is to use the strangler fig pattern for microservices migration, as it allows the team to incrementally migrate functionality from the monolithic Oracle database to new microservices, each with its own Amazon RDS for Oracle instance. This approach minimizes risk and downtime by gradually replacing specific pieces of the monolith with independent services, routing traffic away from the old system only after each new service is verified. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this pattern tests your understanding of safe, iterative modernization strategies versus high-risk big bang rewrites—a common trap is choosing a phased database migration (like AWS DMS) without decoupling the application logic, which still ties services to a single schema. Remember the mnemonic: “Strangle, don’t stranglehold”—you slowly choke out the monolith by building a new system around it, never cutting over all at once.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. 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 modernizing a legacy application by refactoring it into microservices. The application uses a monolithic Oracle database. The team wants to use Amazon RDS for Oracle as the migration target. Which migration approach minimizes risk and downtime?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use the strangler fig pattern to incrementally migrate functionality to new microservices, each with its own database.
Option B is correct because the strangler fig pattern allows gradual migration. Option A is wrong because big bang migration is high risk. Option C is wrong because the phased approach may work but is broader; strangler fig is specific to microservices. Option D is wrong because rewriting all at once is high risk.
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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Create a new RDS instance and use AWS SCT to convert the schema, then cutover after testing.
Why it's wrong here
This is still a big bang approach; cutover involves downtime.
✓
Use the strangler fig pattern to incrementally migrate functionality to new microservices, each with its own database.
Why this is correct
Strangler fig pattern minimizes risk by migrating in small increments.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Migrate the entire database at once using AWS DMS with ongoing replication.
Why it's wrong here
Big bang migration carries high risk of downtime and issues.
✗
Rewrite the application as microservices on AWS and then migrate the database.
Why it's wrong here
Rewriting first delays migration and increases complexity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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
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. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. 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.
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.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use the strangler fig pattern to incrementally migrate functionality to new microservices, each with its own database. — Option B is correct because the strangler fig pattern allows gradual migration. Option A is wrong because big bang migration is high risk. Option C is wrong because the phased approach may work but is broader; strangler fig is specific to microservices. Option D is wrong because rewriting all at once is high risk.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
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 →
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 modernizing a legacy application by refactoring it into microservices. The application uses a monolithic database. The company wants to adopt a microservices architecture with independent data stores. What pattern should the company use?
hard
A.Data lake with Amazon S3
B.Centralized database with an API layer
✓ C.Database per Service
D.Shared database with read replicas
Why C: Option C is correct because the Database per Service pattern ensures each microservice owns its data and can choose the appropriate database technology. Option A is wrong because sharing a single database creates coupling. Option B is wrong because a shared database is the opposite of decoupling. Option D is wrong because data lakes are for analytics, not transactional microservices.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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