AWS Certified Solutions Architect – ProfessionalAccelerate Workload Migration and ModernizationEasy
A healthcare provider is modernizing its patient appointment scheduling system. The existing system is a legacy Windows-based application with a SQL Server database, running on-premises. The company wants to migrate the application to AWS, improve scalability, and reduce the operational overhead associated with managing the database. Compliance requirements dictate that the database must be encrypted at rest and in transit. Which AWS database service is MOST suitable for this migration?
- AMigrate the SQL Server database to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible.
- BMigrate the SQL Server database to Amazon DynamoDB.
- CMigrate the SQL Server database to an Amazon EC2 instance with SQL Server installed.
- DMigrate the SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Migrate the SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server.
Amazon RDS for SQL Server is a fully managed relational database service that supports SQL Server. It reduces operational overhead by handling patching, backups, and replication. It also natively supports encryption at rest (KMS) and in transit (SSL/TLS), meeting the compliance requirements while allowing a direct migration of an existing SQL Server database with minimal changes.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Migrating to Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible would require significant schema and application code changes, as it's a different database engine, which is undesirable for minimizing changes.
- B. DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, requiring a complete re-architecture of the application and database schema, which is not suitable for a 'lift and shift' or 'replatform' modernization of a SQL Server database.
- C. Migrating to EC2 with SQL Server means the customer still manages the database (patching, backups, high availability), which goes against reducing operational overhead.
Amazon RDS for SQL Server
A fully managed relational database service that makes it easy to set up, operate, and scale SQL Server deployments in the cloud.
- Supports various SQL Server versions and editions.
- Automates administrative tasks like backups and patching.
- Offers encryption at rest and in transit for compliance.
Memory trick: RDS is the 'Ready-to-Deploy Service' for your SQL Server.