Estimate migration TCO with AWS Migration Evaluator before moving to EKS

SAP-C02 By islever Editorial Last updated

Select existing workloads and processes for potential migration. Determine the optimal migration approach for existing workloads.

Short answer

A Run the Migration Evaluator Collector, import the data, configure a scenario, and export the Quick Insights TCO report.

Question

A company wants to migrate its website to AWS. The website uses containers that are deployed in an on-premises, self-managed Kubernetes cluster. All data for the website is stored in an on-premises PostgreSQL database. The company has decided to migrate the on-premises Kubernetes cluster to an Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS) cluster. The EKS cluster will use EKS managed node groups with a static number of nodes. The company will also migrate the on-premises database to an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database. A solutions architect needs to estimate the total cost of ownership (TCO) for this workload before the migration. Which solution will provide the required TCO information?
  1. Request access to Migration Evaluator. Run the Migration Evaluator Collector and import the data. Configure a scenario. Export a Quick Insights report from Migration Evaluator. Correct Answer
  2. Launch AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) for the on-premises database. Generate an assessment report. Create an estimate in AWS Pricing Calculator for the costs of the EKS migration.
  3. Initialize AWS Application Migration Service. Add the on-premises servers as source servers. Launch a test instance. Output a TCO report from Application Migration Service.
  4. Access the AWS Cloud Economics Center webpage to assess the AWS Cloud Value Framework. Create an AWS Cost and Usage report from the Cloud Value Framework.

Key Takeaways

Migration Evaluator collects on-premises inventory data and models that workload into an AWS scenario so the report covers both the current-state cost and the projected AWS cost, which is what a TCO statement requires.

A company wants to migrate a self-managed Kubernetes cluster to Amazon EKS and PostgreSQL to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, and needs an estimate of the total cost of ownership for the workload before the migration actually happens.

Common mistake: Using AWS Database Migration Service. DMS replicates and migrates databases, and its assessment reports describe the database migration itself, not the compute, storage, and network cost of running the target architecture, so it cannot produce a workload TCO.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Migration Evaluator is the AWS service designed to produce a total cost of ownership view for a migration before it happens. The Migration Evaluator Collector gathers inventory from the on-premises environment, the collected data is imported to build a scenario representing the current estate, and the Quick Insights report exports the modeled AWS cost alongside the current-state figures. Because the scenario is based on measured inventory rather than assumptions, it covers the EKS cluster, the managed node groups, and the RDS instance together, which is what a workload-level TCO needs.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

B: AWS Database Migration Service is for replicating and migrating databases, and an assessment report from it covers the database migration, not the full workload. The AWS Pricing Calculator also produces only AWS service costs and has no view of the current-state cost, so the comparison that defines a TCO is missing. C: AWS Application Migration Service performs server replication and cutover testing, and it does not produce a TCO report, so a test launch would not answer the cost question. D: The AWS Cloud Value Framework is a planning methodology for assessing value, not a tool that ingests on-premises inventory to produce a workload cost estimate, and a Cost and Usage Report only covers spend already in AWS.

Community Comment Notes

The community voted 91 to 1 for A. Several commenters offered the same short heuristic, that when the question says TCO you should think Migration Evaluator, and the dissenting analysis confirmed the others only estimate AWS-side service cost or only handle the database.

Official Reference

https://aws.amazon.com/migration-evaluator/

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

Community Votes

A
100%

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

Discussion 7 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 7

  1. kgpoj 👍 4 Answered A
    Quick catch: when you see TCO, think about Migration Evaluator
  2. Chakanetsa 👍 3 Answered A
    Best Answer: A. Request access to Migration Evaluator. Run the Migration Evaluator Collector and import the data. Configure a scenario. Export a Quick Insights report from Migration Evaluator. Reasoning: Comprehensive TCO Analysis: Migration Evaluator is specifically designed to assess migration projects and provides detailed cost estimates. Accurate Data: By collecting data from the on-premises environment, Migration Evaluator can generate more accurate cost estimates. Scenario Modeling: The ability to configure scenarios allows for testing different migration options and their associated costs. Quick Insights Report: This provides a summarized overview of the potential TCO.
  3. kupo777 👍 3
    A Migration Evaluator is used to estimate TCO.
  4. AzureDP900 👍 2
    A Migration Evaluator is a tool provided by AWS that helps estimate the costs of migrating an on-premises workload to AWS, including both the migration cost and the estimated TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for the new AWS resources. By using Migration Evaluator, the solutions architect can: Import data about the existing on-premises Kubernetes cluster and PostgreSQL database. Configure a scenario that accurately reflects the planned migration to Amazon EKS and Amazon RDS. Export a Quick Insights report that provides an estimate of the TCO for the migrated workload.
  5. mark_232323 👍 2 Answered A
    Option B is incorrect because AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) is used for migrating databases, not for estimating the TCO. Additionally, the AWS Pricing Calculator alone cannot provide a comprehensive TCO analysis for a complex migration scenario involving Kubernetes and databases. Option C is incorrect because AWS Application Migration Service is primarily used for migrating and modernizing applications, not for estimating the TCO of a migration.
Show 2 more comments
  1. Moumita 👍 1 Answered B
    Option B (AWS DMS assessment + AWS Pricing Calculator) is typically more appropriate and practical.
  2. vip2 👍 1 Answered A
    B:Estimate AWS service costs A: Assess current environment and plan migration to AWS

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