Cost-Effective RDS Backup Retention Policy

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Design cost-optimized storage solutions.

Short answer

C Configure the RDS backup retention policy to 30 days for automated backups and manually delete manual backups older than 30 days.

Question

A company runs database workloads on AWS that are the backend for the company's customer portals. The company runs a Multi-AZ database cluster on Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The company needs to implement a 30-day backup retention policy. The company currently has both automated RDS backups and manual RDS backups. The company wants to maintain both types of existing RDS backups that are less than 30 days old. Which solution will meet these requirements MOST cost-effectively?
  1. Configure the RDS backup retention policy to 30 days for automated backups by using AWS Backup. Manually delete manual backups that are older than 30 days.
  2. Disable RDS automated backups. Delete automated backups and manual backups that are older than 30 days. Configure the RDS backup retention policy to 30 days for automated backups.
  3. Configure the RDS backup retention policy to 30 days for automated backups. Manually delete manual backups that are older than 30 days. Correct Answer
  4. Disable RDS automated backups. Delete automated backups and manual backups that are older than 30 days automatically by using AWS CloudFormation. Configure the RDS backup retention policy to 30 days for automated backups.

Key Takeaways

It tests the distinction between native RDS features and AWS Backup costs, highlighting that native retention is free while AWS Backup incurs additional charges.

This question addresses the most cost-effective method to manage Amazon RDS backup retention for PostgreSQL, balancing automated and manual backup lifecycle management.

Common mistake: Many learners select option A because they assume automation via AWS Backup is always superior, failing to recognize the extra cost associated with the AWS Backup service compared to native RDS settings.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

The correct answer is C because it leverages native RDS functionality without incurring additional service costs. Amazon RDS natively supports automated backups with a configurable retention period (up to 35 days). By setting the retention policy directly in the RDS configuration, you enable automatic deletion of snapshots older than 30 days at no extra fee. For manual DB snapshots, which are not automatically managed by the retention policy, manual deletion is the simplest operational step that avoids the overhead and cost of third-party automation tools like AWS Backup or CloudFormation.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A is incorrect because using AWS Backup introduces an additional layer of billing; AWS Backup is a separate service that aggregates resources from multiple accounts and regions, making it more expensive than native RDS features for this specific single-account use case. Option B is flawed because disabling automated backups would violate the requirement to maintain existing automated backups less than 30 days old unless reconfigured immediately, and it creates unnecessary complexity. Option D suggests using CloudFormation to delete backups, which is operationally absurd as CloudFormation is for infrastructure provisioning, not routine data lifecycle management, and adds significant operational overhead.

Community Comment Notes

Community consensus strongly favors C based on cost efficiency. As one user noted, 'AWS Backup costs extra money,' making option A incorrect for a 'most cost-effective' requirement. Another learner pointed out that 'A - AWS Backup is not required for configuring automated backup retention on RDS. It's native to the RDS service.' Comments also dismiss options B and D as overly complex or illogical for simple backup retention tasks.

Official Reference

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_Backups.html

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When asked for 'most cost-effective,' prioritize native service capabilities over managed add-ons like AWS Backup or Config unless there is a cross-account/region aggregation need. Always check if the feature requested (like backup retention) is built-in before considering external tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is AWS Backup not the best choice here?

AWS Backup is a separate service that incurs additional costs. Since RDS has native automated backup retention, using AWS Backup adds unnecessary expense for a single-region, single-account scenario.

Can I automate manual snapshot deletion for free?

Not natively within RDS. Manual snapshots require explicit deletion. While Lambda could automate this, the question asks for the MOST cost-effective solution, and manual deletion has zero monetary cost compared to running Lambda functions.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Community Votes

C
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer C. 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. blehbleh 👍 10 Answered C
    This is C, you are looking for the most cost effective solution. Again if any of you use ChatGPT it will say A because it makes the most sense for automation and less management. But it is not the most cost effective. AWS Backup costs extra money. So A, is not correct. It is C.
  2. LeonSauveterre 👍 5 Answered C
    A - AWS Backup is not required for configuring automated backup retention on RDS. It's native to the RDS service. So not using that will save us a fortune. B - Disabling backups and then re-enabling a 30-day retention policy? I don't get it C - Manual deletion will add operational tasks for sure, but in this case, it's actually reasonable and acceptable. D - Even sounds more absurd than B, because using AWS CloudFormation to automate deletion adds extra complexity.
  3. jacinml 👍 2 Answered D
    D makes more sense, since AWS CF will keep last 30 days from now on.
  4. viejito 👍 1
    .respuesta correcta A-D : Para cumplir con los requisitos de etiquetado de instancias de Amazon EC2 con sensibilidad de datos y garantizar que las identidades de IAM no puedan eliminar una etiqueta o crear instancias sin una etiqueta, la combinación de pasos más adecuada es: A. En Organizaciones, cree una nueva política de etiqueta que especifique la clave de etiqueta de sensibilidad de datos y los valores requeridos. Aplica los valores de etiqueta para las instancias de EC2. Adjunte la política de etiquetas a la OU apropiada. D. Cree una política de control de servicio (SCP) para denegar la creación de instancias cuando no se especifica una clave de etiqueta. Crea otro SCP que evite que las identidades eliminen las etiquetas. Adjunte los SCP a la OU apropiada.

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