AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C02) — Question 156

A company has a web application with sporadic usage patterns. There is heavy usage at the beginning of each month, moderate usage at the start of each week, and unpredictable usage during the week. The application consists of a web server and a MySQL database server running inside the data center. The company would like to move the application to the AWS Cloud, and needs to select a cost-effective database platform that will not require database modifications.
Which solution will meet these requirements?

Answer options

• A. Amazon DynamoDB
• B. Amazon RDS for MySQL
• C. MySQL-compatible Amazon Aurora Serverless
• D. MySQL deployed on Amazon EC2 in an Auto Scaling group

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer, MySQL-compatible Amazon Aurora Serverless, is ideal for variable workloads, as it automatically adjusts capacity based on demand without requiring modifications to the existing database. Amazon RDS for MySQL and MySQL on EC2 in an Auto Scaling group may not efficiently handle the unpredictable usage and could incur higher costs, while Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL solution that would require significant changes to the application’s database structure.