The correct answer is to increase the size of the DMS replication instance. This resolves the insufficient memory error because AWS DMS performs in-memory caching and transformation during the full load, and when the replication instance lacks sufficient RAM—especially for large objects (LOBs) or high-volume data—the task fails with an out-of-memory condition. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of DMS resource provisioning versus source database tuning; a common trap is assuming you must modify the source Oracle database or reduce the task’s batch size, but the root cause is the replication instance’s capacity. Remember that DMS tasks are resource-bound by the replication instance, not the source. For a memory tip: think “DMS needs its own RAM—scale the instance, not the source.”
PAS-C01 Migration Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of migration. 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 migrating a multi-tier application to AWS. The application includes a load balancer, web servers, and an Oracle database. The migration plan includes using AWS DMS for the database. During the initial full load, the DMS task fails with an error indicating insufficient memory. The source database is on an EC2 instance with 4 GB RAM. What should the migration team do to resolve this issue?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the size of the DMS replication instance
Option C is correct because the error 'insufficient memory' during the initial full load in AWS DMS typically indicates that the replication instance does not have enough memory to handle the data volume or LOB processing. Increasing the size of the DMS replication instance provides more memory for caching, transformation, and LOB handling, directly resolving the resource constraint without altering the source database or task structure.
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.
✗
Disable LOB support in the DMS task
Why it's wrong here
May truncate or lose LOB data, which is not acceptable.
✗
Split the migration into multiple smaller tasks
Why it's wrong here
Reduces per-task load but may still hit memory limits; scaling instance is more direct.
✓
Increase the size of the DMS replication instance
Why this is correct
More memory on the replication instance can handle large data loads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the memory of the source EC2 instance
Why it's wrong here
DMS memory error is on the replication instance, not the source.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may mistakenly think the error refers to the source database's memory (Option D) or that disabling LOBs (Option A) is a quick fix, when in fact the DMS replication instance's memory is the bottleneck and must be scaled up.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS DMS replication instances use memory for caching table data, handling LOBs (which can be stored inline or out-of-line), and managing transaction logs. During a full load, the replication instance must hold the entire table in memory if LOBs are enabled and the LOB mode is set to 'Full LOB mode', which can exhaust memory on smaller instance types like dms.t2.micro or dms.t2.small. Increasing to a larger instance class (e.g., dms.c5.large) provides more memory and CPU, allowing the task to complete without failure.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
Migration — This question tests Migration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the size of the DMS replication instance — Option C is correct because the error 'insufficient memory' during the initial full load in AWS DMS typically indicates that the replication instance does not have enough memory to handle the data volume or LOB processing. Increasing the size of the DMS replication instance provides more memory for caching, transformation, and LOB handling, directly resolving the resource constraint without altering the source database or task structure.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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