The answer is to use AWS Snowball for the initial full data transfer, then AWS DMS for ongoing change data capture (CDC). This is correct because a 50 TB database over a 100 Mbps network link would take roughly 48 days for a full load, far exceeding the 5-day deadline; Snowball bypasses the slow network by physically shipping the data, while DMS CDC handles incremental changes after the snapshot is loaded. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of hybrid migration strategies when network bandwidth is the bottleneck—a common trap is to suggest compressing data or using DMS alone, which still fails the time constraint. Remember the key insight: when migrating large databases over slow networks, Snowball handles the bulk, and DMS CDC handles the trickle. A useful memory tip is “Snowball for the heavy lift, DMS for the drift.”
PAS-C01 Migration Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of migration. 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 50 TB Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle using AWS DMS. The source database is running on-premises and the network link has a bandwidth of 100 Mbps. The migration must complete within 5 days. What is the MOST effective approach to meet the deadline?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS Snowball to transfer the data offline, then use DMS for CDC
The 50 TB database over a 100 Mbps link would take approximately 48 days for a full load (50 TB * 8 / 100 Mbps / 86400 seconds/day), far exceeding the 5-day deadline. AWS Snowball allows offline transfer of the full database snapshot, bypassing network bandwidth constraints, after which AWS DMS can be used for ongoing change data capture (CDC) to replicate incremental changes. This hybrid approach meets the deadline while ensuring minimal data loss.
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.
✗
Provision a Direct Connect connection to increase bandwidth
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect improves bandwidth but still may not transfer 50 TB in 5 days, and provisioning takes time.
✓
Use AWS Snowball to transfer the data offline, then use DMS for CDC
Why this is correct
Snowball transfers data physically, meeting the 5-day window; DMS handles ongoing changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS DMS with full load and change data capture (CDC) online
Why it's wrong here
Online transfer at 100 Mbps would take ~46 days, exceeding the 5-day window.
✗
Use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) to convert schema, then DMS for data
Why it's wrong here
SCT only handles schema conversion; data transfer still over the wire.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume Direct Connect or DMS online can handle large migrations over slow links, but they fail to calculate the raw transfer time; the question explicitly tests the ability to recognize when offline transfer (Snowball) is the only viable option for multi-terabyte datasets under tight deadlines.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Snowball Edge devices use AES-256 encryption and a tamper-resistant hardware to transfer data offline; the 50 TB database would fit on a single Snowball Edge Storage Optimized device (80 TB usable). After the Snowball data is loaded into Amazon RDS for Oracle, AWS DMS CDC tasks use Oracle's supplemental logging and LogMiner or binary reader to capture ongoing changes from the source, ensuring near-zero downtime migration. The key subtlety is that Snowball does not support direct loading into RDS; you must first copy data to an Amazon S3 bucket, then use AWS DMS or native Oracle tools (e.g., Data Pump) to import into RDS, which adds a few hours but still meets the 5-day window.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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: Use AWS Snowball to transfer the data offline, then use DMS for CDC — The 50 TB database over a 100 Mbps link would take approximately 48 days for a full load (50 TB * 8 / 100 Mbps / 86400 seconds/day), far exceeding the 5-day deadline. AWS Snowball allows offline transfer of the full database snapshot, bypassing network bandwidth constraints, after which AWS DMS can be used for ongoing change data capture (CDC) to replicate incremental changes. This hybrid approach meets the deadline while ensuring minimal data loss.
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.
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. An organization is migrating a large on-premises data lake (500 TB) to Amazon S3. The migration must complete within 2 weeks. The network bandwidth is 1 Gbps. Which AWS service should be used?
easy
A.AWS Direct Connect with a 10 Gbps connection
B.AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
C.Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
✓ D.AWS Snowball Edge
Why D: Option A is correct because AWS Snowball Edge can transfer 500 TB within 2 weeks given bandwidth limitations. Option B is incorrect because DMS is for databases. Option C is incorrect because Direct Connect takes longer to provision. Option D is incorrect because S3 Transfer Acceleration helps with speed but 1 Gbps is too slow for 500 TB in 2 weeks.
Variation 2. A company is migrating its SAP system to AWS and needs to transfer a large amount of data (10 TB) from the on-premises data center to AWS. Which TWO AWS services can be used for this data transfer?
easy
A.Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
✓ B.AWS DataSync
C.AWS CloudFormation
✓ D.AWS Snowball
E.AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why B: Options A and B are correct. AWS Snowball is a physical device for large-scale offline data transfer. AWS DataSync can transfer data over the network efficiently. Option C is wrong because Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration speeds up S3 uploads over the internet but is not a migration service. Option D is wrong because AWS DMS is for database migration. Option E is wrong because AWS CloudFormation is for infrastructure as code.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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This PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 exam.
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