AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 Practice Test 94
Question 930
An RDS MySQL db.m-family instance runs 24/7 but averages 4% CPU and modest memory use. Performance is normal even during peak weeks. What cost improvement is reasonable?
- Move the database to a burstable instance based only on four-percent average CPU, without examining baseline credits or peak-period memory demand.
- Profile peak CPU, memory, I/O, storage and connection behavior; load-test a smaller supported RDS class before committing to a right-size change.
- Reduce only the RDS allocated storage size in place and leave compute unchanged, because storage downsizing is the standard way to address low instance CPU.
- Replace Multi-AZ with a Single-AZ database as the first step without checking availability requirements or whether standby capacity causes the compute waste.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Right-sizing requires verifying full workload limits and a realistic peak, not just a CPU average. A tested smaller instance can reduce ongoing DB instance-hour cost while retaining target SLAs.
Incorrect Answers
A:Average CPU alone cannot establish that a burstable class has adequate baseline, credit and peak performance for a 24/7 database. This might replace an oversized host with a throttled one.
C:RDS allocated storage generally cannot be reduced in place, and storage size is a separate dimension from the overprovisioned CPU/memory of the DB instance class.
D:Availability topology should reflect explicit RTO/RPO and zone-failure requirements. Removing Multi-AZ solely to cut cost may violate resilience while not addressing instance sizing correctly.
Question 931
A database grows 5% most months but occasionally doubles from unexpected batch imports. Operators provision far more RDS storage than is needed for the next year to avoid manual changes. Which supported feature may reduce capacity waste?
- Assume every RDS storage volume shrinks automatically after batch deletes with no limitations.
- Turn off storage monitoring to eliminate the need to estimate data growth.
- Evaluate RDS storage autoscaling within appropriate maximum thresholds and engine/deployment support.
- Add read replicas solely to reduce the primary's allocated storage GiB.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Managed storage autoscaling can grow capacity when needed rather than permanently preallocating the speculative maximum.
Incorrect Answers
A:Storage autoscaling generally grows allocation and is not a universal automatic shrink feature.
B:Lack of telemetry does not prevent storage exhaustion or optimize allocation.
D:RDS read replicas generally involve additional database instances and storage resources. They can offload eligible read traffic, but do not shrink the primary instance volume simply because a replica was added.
Question 932
A reporting application is inexpensive to run on its RDS primary, and read CPU peaks at only 20%. The team proposes four read replicas to reduce cost, though no read throughput bottleneck exists. Which decision is sensible?
- Deploy replicas regardless of usage because read replicas are always free if they share the same source database.
- Add replicas as the primary means to shrink source database backup retention without policy review.
- Route the read-only workload to the RDS primary’s instance endpoint through an additional DNS alias and count the alias as a new read-replica instance.
- Avoid unnecessary read replicas until measured read demand justifies their additional instance/storage expense.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Replicas improve read capacity and some resilience designs, but each has its own billable compute/storage footprint.
Incorrect Answers
A:Read replicas are separately provisioned resources with compute and storage charges according to service pricing. Creating replicas without measured read load or a recovery requirement adds ongoing spend instead of guaranteed savings.
B:Read scaling is not a substitute for historical recovery planning.
C:A DNS alias does not provision separate database read capacity, and no replica is needed when measured demand is already low. Unnecessary replicas add capacity and storage expense.
Question 933
A database workload keeps a large in-memory index but has modest CPU use. The currently selected high-vCPU instance spends heavily without enough memory headroom. Which family choice is reasonable?
- Benchmark a memory-optimized supported RDS instance family with a suitable RAM-to-vCPU ratio.
- Choose the largest CPU-only class with less memory because vCPU count is always the only DB cost/performance predictor.
- Buy more provisioned storage GiB as a direct replacement for missing DB RAM.
- Increase the number of client DNS queries to improve the database's buffer-pool capacity.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Database buffer/cache memory can be the limiting resource even when CPU is underutilized.
Incorrect Answers
B:Insufficient RAM can cause extra disk reads and latency.
C:Disk capacity does not provide the same low-latency resident cache.
D:DNS request volume does not change DB instance memory.
Question 934
A small reporting database uses Aurora Serverless v2 and sits idle for hours overnight. Its finance team expects no capacity charges whenever it has no SQL activity, but its client connection pool stays open. Some supported Aurora engine versions can auto-pause at zero ACUs. What must the architect verify before promising cost savings?
- Set MinCapacity=0 on any Aurora engine version without checking support, since the scaling setting overrides all compatibility restrictions.
- Check that the engine and configuration support MinCapacity=0 and auto-pause, that clients actually release connections long enough, and that storage and other charges remain in the cost model.
- Increase the configured MaxCapacity indefinitely because a larger maximum ACU setting forces inactive writers to pause and eliminates storage charges.
- Replace the DB instance with a provisioned instance and assume it auto-pauses whenever CloudWatch reports no CPU use, with no need to schedule stops or manage configuration.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:For supported Aurora Serverless v2 configurations, a zero-ACU minimum can allow idle DB instances to pause, eliminating instance capacity charges while paused. Open user connections or incompatible settings can prevent pause, and storage, requests and other costs remain.
Incorrect Answers
A:Zero-ACU auto-pause is available on supported Aurora Serverless versions and configurations, not on every engine/version or incompatible feature combination. An unsupported MinCapacity=0 request cannot substitute for eligibility checks.
C:The maximum capacity controls potential scaling headroom, not whether the instance has reached an idle pause state. Increasing it does not eliminate persistent storage or I/O billing.
D:Provisioned Aurora instances do not automatically enter the Serverless auto-pause state based on low CPU activity. A provisioned instance retains its billing and operating characteristics unless a supported stop or capacity change is applied.
Question 935
An Aurora cluster is heavily utilized at steady load all week and its owners already have favorable commitment economics for provisioned DB instances. A proposal switches to Serverless exclusively because the word suggests lower cost. What should be compared?
- Assume Serverless always costs less than provisioned Aurora under identical high steady consumption.
- Move the cluster without testing connection behavior, scaling and engine support.
- Model provisioned capacity/commitment pricing against Serverless usage charges and actual scaling characteristics.
- Use only S3 bucket size to select Aurora compute billing model.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Serverless can be valuable for variable demand but is not guaranteed cheaper for continuous predictable saturation.
Incorrect Answers
A:The bill depends on capacity units and usage, not just a product name.
B:Functional compatibility and performance are necessary cost-of-change factors.
D:Object storage footprint does not quantify database CPU/memory demand.
Question 936
An enterprise needs a particular Aurora PostgreSQL extension, an old engine minor version and a specific network feature. The team proposes Serverless without checking support because its operation is managed. What should it do?
- Assume Serverless supports every extension and legacy minor engine version without tests.
- Increase application CPU instances to enable unsupported Aurora engine functionality.
- Ignore database extension behavior because price is the only architecture criterion.
- Validate Serverless engine/version/feature support and test the application's integration before committing.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Managed operation does not imply all extensions and configurations work identically across Aurora capacity models.
Incorrect Answers
A:Compatibility gaps can cause migration failure or workload defects.
B:Compute on the caller cannot add missing database features.
C:Incompatible SQL behavior can outweigh forecast infrastructure savings.
Question 937
A QA database exists for only five days and will be deleted after a one-time compliance rehearsal. Finance wants to buy a one-year RDS RI to reduce its hourly charge. Which purchasing choice avoids stranded spend?
- Keep flexible pay-as-you-go DB pricing for the short-lived workload unless existing coverage already applies.
- Purchase a dedicated new one-year commitment for five days of usage without an ongoing matching baseline.
- Purchase EC2 Spot instances as a direct replacement for the RDS managed DB bill.
- Disable all backups to make an ineligible long-term commitment flexible.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:A long-term reservation is difficult to amortize over a database that will disappear within days.
Incorrect Answers
B:Unused commitment obligations can exceed the temporary on-demand cost.
C:RDS purchasing does not follow EC2 Spot instance pricing.
D:Backup options do not change RI term obligations.
Question 938
An Aurora/RDS team buys reserved pricing for its primary database and announces the deployment is now automatically fault tolerant across AZs. What architecture distinction matters?
- Assume purchasing a DB reservation creates another synchronized standby instance in a second AZ.
- Reserved database pricing discounts eligible instance usage; Multi-AZ deployment and backups must be configured independently.
- Assume reservation discounts make automated backup retention unnecessary.
- Treat payment schedule changes as equivalent to a database failover drill.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Billing contracts do not supply redundant writer infrastructure or recovery points by themselves.
Incorrect Answers
A:Reservations are financial coverage and not a database deployment action.
C:A lower instance rate does not replace historical restore capability.
D:Changing a payment schedule is a business-data operation; it does not demonstrate that a database cluster can fail over or restore within required recovery objectives. The architecture needs a controlled resilience test.
Question 939
An RDS team has a database reservation covering its current engine/class, but it plans to migrate engines and move to a different class next quarter. Finance assumes the discount always transfers fully. What should it calculate?
- Reclassify the existing RDS reservation as a Region-agnostic discount automatically because both databases are hosted in AWS.
- Treat the planned migration as a simple instance resize and retain the exact existing RI discount, regardless of the new engine.
- Model actual engine, class-type, Region and deployment eligibility before and after migration, including any unused old commitment, before buying new reserved coverage.
- Purchase additional existing-engine reserved coverage to bridge migration time without checking whether overlapping commitments will be utilized.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:After an engine or class migration, discounts may not match the new DB usage while the older commitment still incurs cost. The proposal needs an explicit reservation utilization and new-rate comparison.
Incorrect Answers
A:RDS Reserved DB Instances have service, Region, engine and class applicability, not blanket Region-agnostic portable benefits across unrelated database engines.
B:Instance size flexibility is conditional and does not make different DB engines interchangeable under the same reservation purchase.
D:Stacking more commitment before a near-term engine change can add unused coverage. Without a matching eligible workload, an apparent discount can become a sunk expense.
Question 940
An RDS workload currently pays for a high-performance storage tier, but its transactional IOPS/latency are comfortably within supported gp3 baseline performance. Which storage change may lower cost?
- Switch every RDS engine to gp3 without checking whether the deployment supports it.
- Keep premium provisioned performance forever because lower measured utilization has no cost implication.
- Use an S3 lifecycle rule to directly alter an RDS DB instance's live storage class.
- Evaluate RDS gp3 storage on a supported engine/configuration and verify latency under actual peak load.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:gp3 can provide suitable baseline performance economically for workloads that do not need expensive provisioned tiers.
Incorrect Answers
A:RDS storage options vary by engine and instance/deployment context.
B:Unused provisioned performance can be a savings opportunity.
C:RDS storage configuration is not managed by ordinary S3 object lifecycle transitions.