AWS Certified Database – Specialty — Question 284

A company maintains several databases using Amazon RDS for MySQL and PostgreSQL. Each RDS database generates log files with retention periods set to their default values. The company has now mandated that database logs be maintained for up to 90 days in a centralized repository to facilitate real-time and after-the-fact analyses.
What should a Database Specialist do to meet these requirements with minimal effort?

Answer options

• A. Create an AWS Lambda function to pull logs from the RDS databases and consolidate the log files in an Amazon S3 bucket. Set a lifecycle policy to expire the objects after 90 days.
• B. Modify the RDS databases to publish log to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. Change the log retention policy for each log group to expire the events after 90 days.
• C. Write a stored procedure in each RDS database to download the logs and consolidate the log files in an Amazon S3 bucket. Set a lifecycle policy to expire the objects after 90 days.
• D. Create an AWS Lambda function to download the logs from the RDS databases and publish the logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. Change the log retention policy for the log group to expire the events after 90 days.

Correct answer: B

Explanation

Amazon RDS natively supports exporting database logs directly to Amazon CloudWatch Logs, requiring minimal configuration and no custom code. CloudWatch Logs serves as a centralized repository that facilitates real-time monitoring and allows log group retention to be easily configured to 90 days. Other options involving AWS Lambda functions or database stored procedures introduce unnecessary operational overhead and development effort.