Table of Contents
Question
A database administrator needs to save a particular automated database snapshot from an Amazon RDS for Microsoft SQL Server DB instance for longer than the maximum number of days. Which solution will meet these requirements in the MOST operationally efficient way?
A. Create a manual copy of the snapshot.
B. Export the contents of the snapshot to an Amazon S3 bucket.
C. Change the retention period of the snapshot to 45 days.
D. Create a native SQL Server backup. Save the backup to an Amazon S3 bucket.
Answer
A. Create a manual copy of the snapshot.
Explanation
The correct answer is A. Create a manual copy of the snapshot.
A manual copy of a snapshot is a snapshot that is created by the user, not by the automated backup process of Amazon RDS. A manual copy of a snapshot can be retained for as long as the user wants, unlike an automated snapshot, which is deleted after the retention period expires. The retention period for automated snapshots can be set from 1 to 35 days for Amazon RDS for Microsoft SQL Server.
To create a manual copy of a snapshot, the database administrator can use the AWS Management Console, the AWS CLI, or the Amazon RDS API. The manual copy of a snapshot will have the same data and configuration as the original snapshot, but it will have a different name and ARN (Amazon Resource Name).
Creating a manual copy of a snapshot is the most operationally efficient way to save a particular automated database snapshot for longer than the maximum number of days, as it does not require any additional steps or resources. The manual copy of a snapshot can be used to restore the DB instance to the same state as the original snapshot at any time.
The other options are less efficient because:
- B. Export the contents of the snapshot to an Amazon S3 bucket. This is less efficient because this requires more steps and resources than creating a manual copy of a snapshot. Exporting the contents of a snapshot to an Amazon S3 bucket involves using the AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) to extract and transfer the data from the snapshot to an S3 bucket. This process can take longer and incur additional costs than creating a manual copy of a snapshot. Moreover, exporting the contents of a snapshot to an S3 bucket does not preserve the configuration of the DB instance, such as security groups, parameter groups, or option groups.
- C. Change the retention period of the snapshot to 45 days. This is not possible because the maximum retention period for automated snapshots is 35 days for Amazon RDS for Microsoft SQL Server. Changing the retention period of the snapshot to 45 days will result in an error or a warning from Amazon RDS.
- D. Create a native SQL Server backup. Save the backup to an Amazon S3 bucket. This is less efficient because this requires more steps and resources than creating a manual copy of a snapshot. Creating a native SQL Server backup involves using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Transact-SQL commands to back up the database from the DB instance to an S3 bucket. This process can take longer and incur additional costs than creating a manual copy of a snapshot. Moreover, creating a native SQL Server backup does not preserve the configuration of the DB instance, such as security groups, parameter groups, or option groups.
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