AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional — Question 924

A weather forecasting company is migrating an application that stores data on premises in a PostgreSQL database. The Company wants to migrate the database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The database size grows at an average rate of 5 GB daily and is currently 50 TB. The data center has an internet connection with
50 Mbps of available bandwidth. The migration to AWS must be completed as soon as possible within the next 21 days.
Which data transfer strategy meets these requirements with the LEAST amount of application downtime?

Answer options

• A. Take the application offline. Create a local backup of the database. Transmit the database backup file over the existing connection to an Amazon S3 bucket. Use native database tools to restore the backup onto the new database and to set up replication to capture any changes since the backup. Modify the database connection string, and bring the application online.
• B. Install the Server Migration Connector VM in the local data center. Use the AWS Server Migration Service (AWS SMS) console to replicate the on-premises database to the new database. Modify DNS records to point to the new database.
• C. Create a local backup of the database, and copy the backup onto an AWS Snowcone device. Activate the AWS DataSync agent on the device, and configure the agent to copy the backup and ongoing changes to an Amazon S3 bucket. Use AWS Backup to restore the backup onto the new database and to apply the changes. Modify DNS records to point to the new database.
• D. Use AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) to launch a replication instance in a connected VPC. Use the AWS Schema Conversion Tool to extract the data locally and to move the data to an AWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized device. Ship the device to AWS, and use an AWS DMS task to complete the transfer to the target database. For the migration type, choose the option to migrate existing data and replicate ongoing changes. Modify DNS records to point to the new database.

Correct answer: D

Explanation

Transferring 50 TB over a 50 Mbps network link is mathematically impossible within 21 days, as it would take over 90 days, ruling out network-only transfer methods like Options A and B. AWS Snowcone (Option C) does not have the storage capacity to hold a 50 TB backup. Option D is the correct approach because an AWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized device can comfortably hold the 50 TB payload, and AWS DMS combined with the Schema Conversion Tool allows for physical transport of the bulk data while replicating ongoing changes to ensure minimal downtime during the final cutover.