Migrating SQL Server to AWS with Reduced Overhead

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Design secure workloads and applications.

Short answer

B Migrate the databases to a Multi-AZ Amazon RDS for SQL Server DB instance and use an AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) AWS managed key for encryption.

Question

A company is migrating its workloads to AWS. The company has sensitive and critical data in on-premises relational databases that run on SQL Server instances. The company wants to use the AWS Cloud to increase security and reduce operational overhead for the databases. Which solution will meet these requirements?
  1. Migrate the databases to Amazon EC2 instances. Use an AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) AWS managed key for encryption.
  2. Migrate the databases to a Multi-AZ Amazon RDS for SQL Server DB instance. Use an AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) AWS managed key for encryption. Correct Answer
  3. Migrate the data to an Amazon S3 bucket. Use Amazon Macie to ensure data security.
  4. Migrate the databases to an Amazon DynamoDB table. Use Amazon CloudWatch Logs to ensure data security.

Key Takeaways

The core concept is leveraging managed services (RDS) to offload administrative tasks like patching and backups, contrasting with self-managed EC2 instances.

This question evaluates the selection of a managed database service that reduces operational overhead while maintaining relational capabilities and security. The correct solution utilizes Amazon RDS for SQL Server with Multi-AZ deployment and KMS encryption.

Common mistake: Learners often incorrectly choose Amazon EC2 (Option A) because they underestimate the significant operational overhead associated with managing databases on raw compute resources compared to managed services.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) is a managed service that automates tedious administrative tasks such as provisioning, patching, backup, recovery, failure detection, and repair. By migrating to Amazon RDS for SQL Server with Multi-AZ deployment, the company achieves high availability and fault tolerance automatically. Using an AWS KMS managed key ensures data is encrypted at rest without requiring manual key management, directly addressing the requirements to increase security and reduce operational overhead.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A uses Amazon EC2, which requires the user to manage the operating system, database software, patches, and backups, resulting in high operational overhead rather than reduced. Option C suggests migrating to Amazon S3 and using Macie; however, S3 is object storage, not suitable for replacing a relational SQL Server database that requires transactional integrity and complex queries. Option D proposes Amazon DynamoDB, which is a NoSQL database incompatible with existing SQL Server applications without significant code refactoring, and CloudWatch Logs are for monitoring, not primary data security/encryption.

Community Comment Notes

Community consensus strongly supports Option B. Users noted that this option provides the best balance between increased security, reduced operational overhead, and maintaining relational functionalities. One commenter highlighted that DynamoDB is NoSQL and thus inappropriate for direct migration from SQL Server. Another user confirmed that the managed nature of RDS is key to reducing overhead compared to EC2.

Exam Strategy

When a question emphasizes 'reducing operational overhead' or 'managed service,' always prioritize AWS PaaS offerings (like RDS, ElastiCache, Lambda) over IaaS options (like EC2). Look for keywords indicating the need to maintain specific database engines or compatibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not use EC2 with KMS for encryption?

EC2 is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), requiring you to manage the OS, database software, and backups manually. This creates high operational overhead, contradicting the requirement to reduce it.

Can we migrate SQL Server to DynamoDB directly?

No. DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, while SQL Server is relational. Migrating would require significant application code changes to adapt to the different data model and query patterns.

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Community Votes

B
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 4 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 4

  1. trinh_le 👍 6 Answered B
    Migrate the databases to a Multi-AZ Amazon RDS for SQL Server DB instance. Use an AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) AWS managed key for encryption.
  2. Seb888 👍 4 Answered B
    B. Migrate the databases to a Multi-AZ Amazon RDS for SQL Server DB instance. Use an AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) AWS managed key for encryption. This option provides the best balance between increased security, reduced operational overhead, and maintaining the relational database functionalities that the company needs.
  3. muhammadahmer36 👍 2 Answered B
    B. Migrate the databases to a Multi-AZ Amazon RDS for SQL Server DB instance. Use an AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) AWS managed key for encryption.
  4. mk168898 👍 2
    looking to migrate SQL server isntance. D is wrong because dynamoDB is noSQL

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