SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
A SysOps administrator is investigating a performance issue with an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instance. The administrator has enabled Performance Insights. Which TWO metrics from Performance Insights can help identify the root cause of a sudden increase in database load? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'Average Active Sessions' (the overall load metric) with 'DB Load by Wait Events' (the breakdown), or they mistakenly think raw I/O metrics like IOPS are sufficient to diagnose database-level contention, when in fact wait event analysis is required to isolate the specific resource bottleneck.
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
✓
DB Load by Wait Events.
The correct answers are C and E. DB Load by Wait Events (C) breaks down the total load into wait event categories (e.g., CPU, I/O, locks), directly identifying the resource causing the bottleneck. Top SQL queries by DB Load (E) shows which specific SQL statements contribute the most to the load, enabling targeted optimization. Together, they provide a complete root cause analysis. Options A and D (Read/Write IOPS, CPUUtilization) are infrastructure-level metrics that may indicate resource pressure but do not reveal database-level contention or query-level impact. Option B (Average Active Sessions) is the overall load metric itself, not a breakdown, so it does not pinpoint the cause.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Read IOPS and Write IOPS.
Why it's wrong here
Read and Write IOPS are CloudWatch volume metrics, not Performance Insights counters; Performance Insights reports db.load.avg broken down by wait event, SQL statement and user. It is tempting because I/O waits do drive load, and it would be correct if the question asked which CloudWatch metrics indicate storage pressure rather than which Performance Insights metrics identify the root cause.
- ✗
Average Active Sessions.
Why it's wrong here
Average Active Sessions measures database load, not its cause, so it cannot identify why load suddenly rose. It is tempting because AAS is Performance Insights' headline metric for visualising total load and is the correct choice when the question asks how to quantify load or compare load across time slices.
- ✓
DB Load by Wait Events.
Why this is correct
DB Load by Wait Events splits database load across wait categories, exposing which resource contention spiked. It satisfies the stem's need to pinpoint the root cause of a sudden load increase rather than merely confirming that load rose.
- ✗
CPUUtilization percentage.
Why it's wrong here
CPUUtilization is an Amazon CloudWatch metric, not a Performance Insights counter, so it cannot be selected from that console's load breakdown. It is tempting because high CPU often accompanies database load, and it would be correct if the question asked for CloudWatch metrics rather than Performance Insights dimensions such as db.load.avg.
- ✓
Top SQL queries by DB Load.
Why this is correct
Top SQL queries by DB Load ranks statements by the load they generate, isolating the query responsible for the sudden increase. It satisfies the stem's root-cause requirement by attributing database load to specific SQL text.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,169 original SOA-C02 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SOA-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 SOA-C02 exam.