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Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. 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. A key principle to apply: cloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions.. 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 SysOps administrator manages an Amazon RDS for MySQL instance that handles a critical web application. During peak traffic, the number of database connections exceeds 500 for more than 15 minutes, leading to connection timeouts. The administrator wants to automatically increase the DB instance size when the connection count remains high, and decrease it when the load drops, to balance performance and cost. Which combination of AWS services should be used to achieve this automation with the least operational overhead?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

  • Clue: "least"

    Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

Question 1mediummultiple choice
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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

✓

Set up an Amazon CloudWatch alarm on the DatabaseConnections metric that triggers an AWS Lambda function to modify the DB instance class via the RDS API.

Option C is correct because it uses a CloudWatch alarm to monitor the DatabaseConnections metric, which triggers an AWS Lambda function that directly calls the RDS ModifyDBInstance API to change the instance class. This approach provides the least operational overhead by leveraging native AWS services without additional infrastructure, custom resources, or periodic polling, and it enables real-time, event-driven scaling based on the specified threshold.

Key principle: CloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✗

    Configure a CloudWatch alarm on DatabaseConnections that triggers an Amazon CloudWatch Events rule, which directly modifies the DB instance class using a CloudFormation custom resource.

    Why it's wrong here

    CloudWatch Events can trigger targets but cannot directly modify RDS instance classes. A Lambda function is needed to call the RDS API. This option is overly complex and not natively supported.

  • ✗

    Use an AWS Config rule to monitor DatabaseConnections and invoke an AWS Lambda function to scale the RDS instance when the threshold is breached.

    Why it's wrong here

    AWS Config is designed for resource compliance and configuration history, not for real-time metric-based monitoring and scaling. It cannot directly evaluate CloudWatch metrics.

  • ✓

    Set up an Amazon CloudWatch alarm on the DatabaseConnections metric that triggers an AWS Lambda function to modify the DB instance class via the RDS API.

    Why this is correct

    This is the correct approach. CloudWatch alarms can invoke Lambda actions. Lambda can use the RDS API (ModifyDBInstance) to change the instance class. This provides automated, event-driven scaling with minimal overhead.

    Clue confirmation

    The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.

    Related concept

    CloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions.

  • ✗

    Use an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook to periodically check the DatabaseConnections metric and adjust the RDS instance class if needed.

    Why it's wrong here

    While Systems Manager Automation can perform actions, it requires a scheduled execution or manual trigger, making it less responsive than a CloudWatch alarm. It also adds complexity for a real-time scaling requirement.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config rules (designed for compliance) with CloudWatch alarms (designed for metric monitoring), leading them to choose Option B, or they overcomplicate the solution with CloudFormation custom resources (Option A) or Systems Manager runbooks (Option D) when a simple Lambda function triggered by a CloudWatch alarm is the most direct and low-overhead approach.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, the CloudWatch alarm transitions to ALARM state when the DatabaseConnections metric exceeds 500 for 15 consecutive minutes, which triggers the Lambda function via an Amazon SNS topic or directly as a CloudWatch alarm action. The Lambda function then uses the AWS SDK to call ModifyDBInstance with the DBInstanceClass parameter, which requires a reboot for the change to take effect; this is a synchronous operation that can take several minutes depending on the instance size. In a real-world scenario, you must also consider that scaling up may cause a brief downtime during the reboot, so you might combine this with a Multi-AZ deployment to minimize impact.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • CloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions.
  • Lambda functions can call AWS APIs like RDS ModifyDBInstance.
  • ModifyDBInstance allows changing the DB instance class.
  • This solution provides event-driven, serverless scaling automation.

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

CloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review cloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions., then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SOA-C02 question test?

Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — This question tests Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — CloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Set up an Amazon CloudWatch alarm on the DatabaseConnections metric that triggers an AWS Lambda function to modify the DB instance class via the RDS API. — Option C is correct because it uses a CloudWatch alarm to monitor the DatabaseConnections metric, which triggers an AWS Lambda function that directly calls the RDS ModifyDBInstance API to change the instance class. This approach provides the least operational overhead by leveraging native AWS services without additional infrastructure, custom resources, or periodic polling, and it enables real-time, event-driven scaling based on the specified threshold.

What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?

Review cloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions., then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

What is the key concept behind this question?

CloudWatch Alarms can directly invoke Lambda functions.

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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026

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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.