AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) — Question 835

A company uses Amazon RDS with default backup settings for its database tier. The company needs to make a daily backup of the database to meet regulatory requirements. The company must retain the backups for 30 days.

Which solution will meet these requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?

Answer options

• A. Write an AWS Lambda function to create an RDS snapshot every day.
• B. Modify the RDS database to have a retention period of 30 days for automated backups.
• C. Use AWS Systems Manager Maintenance Windows to modify the RDS backup retention period.
• D. Create a manual snapshot every day by using the AWS CLI. Modify the RDS backup retention period.

Correct answer: B

Explanation

Amazon RDS automated backups are enabled by default, and modifying the retention period to 30 days is a built-in, fully managed feature that requires no ongoing maintenance. Options A and D introduce unnecessary operational overhead by requiring custom scripts, AWS Lambda, or manual CLI executions. Option C is incorrect because AWS Systems Manager Maintenance Windows are designed for scheduling administrative tasks and are not needed for a simple, one-time configuration change on the RDS instance.