What is Amazon RDS?
A) Relational Database Service – managed relational DB service.
B) RDS is a serverless data warehouse service for OLAP analytics on large datasets.
C) RDS is a NoSQL database service for unstructured and schema-less data at petabyte scale.
D) RDS is a managed caching service compatible with Redis and Memcached.
A) Relational Database Service – managed relational DB service.
What are the key features of RDS?
A) RDS does not support encryption — you must use a self-managed database for encrypted storage.
B) Multi-AZ (synchronous standby, HA not read scaling), Read Replicas (async, up to 5, for read scaling), automated backups, manual…
C) Multi-AZ and Read Replicas are the same feature; both provide high availability and read scaling.
D) Multi-AZ for read scaling, Read Replicas for high availability, and manual backups only.
B) Multi-AZ (synchronous standby, HA not read scaling), Read Replicas (async, up to 5, for read scaling), automated backups, manual…
What is RDS Multi-AZ and what is it for?
A) Multi-AZ creates asynchronous read replicas in another AZ for scaling read traffic.
B) A synchronous standby replica in a different AZ. Provides automatic failover for high availability.
C) Multi-AZ deploys the database across all regions simultaneously for global low latency.
D) Multi-AZ is a backup strategy that stores RDS snapshots in a different AZ automatically.
B) A synchronous standby replica in a different AZ. Provides automatic failover for high availability.
What is RDS Read Replicas and what is it for?
A) Read Replicas are synchronous standbys used for automatic failover during outages.
B) Read Replicas are incremental backups that can be restored to create a new primary.
C) Asynchronous copies of the primary database (up to 5). Used to scale read traffic.
D) Read Replicas are multi-region primary databases used for active-active configurations.
C) Asynchronous copies of the primary database (up to 5). Used to scale read traffic.
What is Amazon Aurora?
A) Aurora is an in-memory caching layer for RDS that provides sub-millisecond query times.
B) Aurora is a managed data warehouse service 5× faster than Redshift for OLAP queries.
C) Aurora is a NoSQL database compatible with MongoDB and Cassandra.
D) AWS-proprietary relational DB engine. MySQL and PostgreSQL compatible.
D) AWS-proprietary relational DB engine. MySQL and PostgreSQL compatible.
What is Amazon DynamoDB?
A) DynamoDB is a managed relational database compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL.
B) DynamoDB is a managed data warehouse service for petabyte-scale analytics.
C) DynamoDB is a managed graph database optimised for social network applications.
D) Fully managed NoSQL database (key-value + document). Single-digit millisecond latency at any scale. Serverless.
D) Fully managed NoSQL database (key-value + document). Single-digit millisecond latency at any scale. Serverless.
What are the key DynamoDB concepts?
A) Collections, Documents, Fields, ObjectID — DynamoDB uses MongoDB-compatible data model.
B) Clusters, Keyspaces, Partitions, and Tokens — DynamoDB uses a Cassandra-compatible model.
C) Tables, Rows, Columns, Primary Keys, Foreign Keys, and Indexes — same as SQL databases.
D) Tables, Items (rows), Attributes (flexible schema). Primary Key = Partition Key + optional Sort Key.
D) Tables, Items (rows), Attributes (flexible schema). Primary Key = Partition Key + optional Sort Key.
What is DynamoDB DAX?
A) DAX is DynamoDB’s built-in backup service that takes automatic point-in-time snapshots.
B) DAX is a DynamoDB streaming feature that captures item changes for event-driven processing.
C) DAX is DynamoDB’s cross-region replication feature for multi-master active-active setups.
D) DynamoDB Accelerator – an in-memory cache for DynamoDB delivering microsecond read latency (vs milliseconds without DAX).
D) DynamoDB Accelerator – an in-memory cache for DynamoDB delivering microsecond read latency (vs milliseconds without DAX).
What is Amazon Redshift?
A) Redshift is a managed OLTP relational database optimised for transactional workloads.
B) Redshift is an in-memory cache that speeds up DynamoDB queries to microsecond latency.
C) Fully managed petabyte-scale data warehouse. SQL-compatible, OLAP (Online Analytical Processing).
D) Redshift is a managed search and analytics engine based on Elasticsearch.
C) Fully managed petabyte-scale data warehouse. SQL-compatible, OLAP (Online Analytical Processing).
What is Amazon ElastiCache?
A) ElastiCache is a managed relational database for caching SQL query results on disk.
B) Managed in-memory caching. Redis: rich data structures, persistence, replication, cluster mode.
C) ElastiCache is a DynamoDB accelerator that uses SSD storage to speed up reads.
D) ElastiCache is a CDN service that caches web content at AWS edge locations.
B) Managed in-memory caching. Redis: rich data structures, persistence, replication, cluster mode.
SQL vs NoSQL databases – key differences?
A) SQL and NoSQL have identical performance characteristics; they differ only in query language.
B) NoSQL uses ACID properties; SQL uses BASE properties for eventual consistency.
C) SQL is horizontally scaled and schema-less; NoSQL is vertically scaled and uses fixed schemas.
D) SQL: structured/schema, ACID properties, vertically scaled, uses SQL. | …
D) SQL: structured/schema, ACID properties, vertically scaled, uses SQL. | …
What are the specialty AWS database services?
A) Kinesis, SQS, SNS, MQ, and EventBridge — the five specialty streaming database services.
B) S3, EBS, EFS, Glacier, and FSx — the five specialty storage-as-database services.
C) DocumentDB (MongoDB-compatible), Neptune (graph DB), QLDB (immutable ledger), Timestream (time-series), Keyspaces…
D) RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, ElastiCache, and Redshift — the five specialty database services.
C) DocumentDB (MongoDB-compatible), Neptune (graph DB), QLDB (immutable ledger), Timestream (time-series), Keyspaces…
What is AWS DMS?
A) DMS is a continuous backup service that replicates RDS snapshots to another region.
B) DMS is a schema conversion tool that rewrites database schemas between SQL engines.
C) Database Migration Service – migrates databases to AWS with minimal downtime and zero data loss.
D) DMS is a managed ETL service that transforms data between data warehouse formats.
C) Database Migration Service – migrates databases to AWS with minimal downtime and zero data loss.
What is AWS SCT?
A) SCT is a compliance assessment tool that checks database configurations against standards.
B) Schema Conversion Tool – converts database schema from one engine to another (e.g. Oracle to PostgreSQL).
C) SCT is a data masking service that anonymises sensitive data before migrating to AWS.
D) SCT is a database performance tuning tool that optimises slow SQL queries automatically.
B) Schema Conversion Tool – converts database schema from one engine to another (e.g. Oracle to PostgreSQL).
Self-managed vs managed databases – trade-offs?
A) Both have identical operational overhead — the only difference is licensing cost.
B) Self-managed: full control, but you handle backups, HA, replication, patching, and scaling – high operational overhead.
C) Managed databases give more control; self-managed databases are easier to operate.
D) Self-managed databases are always cheaper; managed services include hidden premium fees.
B) Self-managed: full control, but you handle backups, HA, replication, patching, and scaling – high operational overhead.
What is Amazon SQS?
A) Simple Queue Service – fully managed message queue. Decouples application components.
B) SQS is a managed API gateway that queues HTTP requests for backend processing.
C) SQS is a real-time streaming service for ingesting IoT and clickstream data.
D) SQS is a pub/sub notification service where one message fans out to many subscribers.
A) Simple Queue Service – fully managed message queue. Decouples application components.
What is Amazon SNS?
A) Simple Notification Service – pub/sub messaging. One published message fans out to many subscribers simultaneously.
B) SNS is a managed email service for sending transactional and marketing emails.
C) SNS is a real-time data streaming service for high-throughput event ingestion.
D) SNS is a message queue that stores messages for up to 14 days for later processing.
A) Simple Notification Service – pub/sub messaging. One published message fans out to many subscribers simultaneously.
SQS vs SNS – full comparison?
A) Both SQS and SNS are push-based; SQS fans out to multiple consumers; SNS queues messages.
B) SQS: queue (pull model), one consumer per message, persists up to 14 days, used for decoupling/buffering. | …
C) SNS persists messages for 14 days; SQS delivers immediately and does not store messages.
D) SQS delivers to multiple subscribers simultaneously; SNS delivers to only one consumer.
B) SQS: queue (pull model), one consumer per message, persists up to 14 days, used for decoupling/buffering. | …
What is Amazon EventBridge?
A) EventBridge is a managed message queue service that replaces SQS for event-driven apps.
B) EventBridge is a cron job service that only runs scheduled tasks on a fixed interval.
C) EventBridge is a real-time analytics service for processing streaming IoT event data.
D) Serverless event bus for event-driven applications (formerly CloudWatch Events).
D) Serverless event bus for event-driven applications (formerly CloudWatch Events).
What is Amazon Kinesis?
A) Real-time data streaming. Kinesis Data Streams: capture/process/store data streams.
B) Kinesis is a pub/sub notification service (like SNS) optimised for streaming workloads.
C) Kinesis is a managed message queue (like SQS) designed for high-throughput event ingestion.
D) Kinesis is a managed ETL service that transforms data between S3 and Redshift.
A) Real-time data streaming. Kinesis Data Streams: capture/process/store data streams.
What is AWS Step Functions?
A) Serverless visual workflow service.
B) Step Functions is a CI/CD pipeline service for orchestrating code deployments.
C) Step Functions is an event bus service for routing events between AWS services.
D) Step Functions is a managed cron job service for scheduling Lambda executions.
A) Serverless visual workflow service.
What is Amazon API Gateway?
A) API Gateway is a DNS service that routes API subdomains to backend EC2 instances.
B) API Gateway is a load balancer that distributes REST API traffic across Lambda functions.
C) API Gateway is a CDN service that caches API responses at CloudFront edge locations.
D) Fully managed service to create, publish, and maintain REST and WebSocket APIs.
D) Fully managed service to create, publish, and maintain REST and WebSocket APIs.
What is Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) in the context of application integration?
A) ELB is a DNS failover service that redirects traffic when a region becomes unavailable.
B) ELB is a caching layer that stores backend responses to reduce database query load.
C) Distributes incoming traffic across multiple backend targets (EC2, ECS, EKS, Lambda).
D) ELB is a VPN service that securely connects client applications to backend services.
C) Distributes incoming traffic across multiple backend targets (EC2, ECS, EKS, Lambda).
What is Amazon MQ?
A) A managed message broker service for Apache ActiveMQ and RabbitMQ.
B) Amazon MQ is a managed Kafka service for high-throughput event streaming workloads.
C) Amazon MQ is a managed alternative to SQS designed for cloud-native microservices.
D) Amazon MQ is a managed MQTT broker specifically designed for IoT device communication.
A) A managed message broker service for Apache ActiveMQ and RabbitMQ.
