AWS Certified Database – Specialty — Question 122

A company is developing a new web application. An AWS CloudFormation template was created as a part of the build process.
Recently, a change was made to an AWS::RDS::DBInstance resource in the template. The CharacterSetName property was changed to allow the application to process international text. A change set was generated using the new template, which indicated that the existing DB instance should be replaced during an upgrade.
What should a database specialist do to prevent data loss during the stack upgrade?

Answer options

• A. Create a snapshot of the DB instance. Modify the template to add the DBSnapshotIdentifier property with the ID of the DB snapshot. Update the stack.
• B. Modify the stack policy using the aws cloudformation update-stack command and the set-stack-policy command, then make the DB resource protected.
• C. Create a snapshot of the DB instance. Update the stack. Restore the database to a new instance.
• D. Deactivate any applications that are using the DB instance. Create a snapshot of the DB instance. Modify the template to add the DBSnapshotIdentifier property with the ID of the DB snapshot. Update the stack and reactivate the applications.

Correct answer: D

Explanation

Option D is correct because it ensures that the applications are not using the DB instance while a snapshot is taken, which prevents data loss. The other options either do not involve stopping the applications (A and C) or do not adequately protect the DB resource during the upgrade (B). Taking a snapshot before making changes is crucial for data recovery.