Question #689
A company runs a mission-critical application with its data tier deployed in a single AWS Region. The data tier consists of an Amazon DynamoDB table and an Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL DB cluster. The Aurora PostgreSQL engine version supports a global database. The application tier is already deployed across two Regions. Company policy mandates that all critical applications must have both application and data tiers deployed in two Regions, with an RTO and RPO of no more than a few minutes. A solutions architect must design a solution to align the data tier with these requirements.
Which combination of steps should be taken to meet these requirements? (Choose two.)
Add a secondary Region to the Aurora PostgreSQL DB cluster using the global database feature
Create a read replica of the Aurora PostgreSQL DB cluster in another Region
Configure cross-Region automated backups for the DynamoDB table and Aurora PostgreSQL DB cluster
Replicate the DynamoDB table to a secondary Region by enabling global tables
Use AWS Backup to schedule cross-Region backups and automate recovery workflows
Explanation
The correct answers are A and D.
- A: Aurora Global Database replicates data to a secondary Region with typically <1s replication lag, enabling fast failover (meeting RTO/RPO).
- D: DynamoDB Global Tables replicate data across Regions in real-time, ensuring active-active access and minimal downtime.
Other options are incorrect because:
- B: Cross-Region read replicas are asynchronous and require manual promotion, increasing RTO.
- C/E: Backups involve recovery time exceeding 'a few minutes' RTO.
Key Points: Use global databases (Aurora Global Database, DynamoDB Global Tables) for mission-critical, multi-Region data tiers requiring low RTO/RPO. Avoid relying solely on backups or read replicas for such requirements.
Answer
The correct answer is: AD