AWS Certified Database-Specialty (DBS-CO1) Prep

Why VPCs matter for databases. We'll explain private subnets, security groups, and network ACLs in a database context.

Learn to configure IAM roles and policies for database access. This lesson includes a downloadable policy template.

A practical guide to enabling encryption using AWS KMS for services like RDS and Redshift.

We'll demonstrate how to configure and manage failover and read scaling for RDS and Aurora.

Master automated backups, manual snapshots, and point-in-time recovery for your critical databases.

Learn which metrics to watch and how to set up alarms for CPU, memory, and disk I/O.

A problem-solving session on fixing the most common VPC and security group misconfigurations.

Understand the maintenance windows and procedures for keeping your database engines up to date.

How to use SNS to stay informed about important database events and changes.

Learn about Aurora's unique architecture and how to optimize its performance using specific parameters.

We'll solve a real-world problem: avoiding throttling by understanding and managing DynamoDB partitions.

A clear comparison to help you choose the right in-memory engine for your caching needs.

A deep dive into the two most important concepts for optimizing query performance in Redshift.

Learn how to use this feature to monitor database activity for security and compliance.

We'll analyze cost reports and identify areas for savings, from storage to compute and I/O.

Understand how to configure auto scaling for DynamoDB and Aurora Serverless.

Learn to use this powerful tool to pinpoint database performance bottlenecks.

A step-by-step guide to planning and executing a database migration using the Database Migration Service.

We'll show you how SCT helps convert your database schema when moving between engine types.

Learn techniques for minimizing application disruption during a database migration.

Understand how to use S3 as a data lake and Glue for ETL, querying with Athena and Redshift Spectrum.

A practical look at the v1 and v2 models for Aurora Serverless and their cost benefits.

Real case study: building an event-driven architecture using DynamoDB Streams.

Learn how these services query data directly from S3 without needing to load it into a database.

Explore how services like Redshift ML and DynamoDB can be used in ML workflows.

A quick overview of these specialized database engines for MongoDB compatibility and graph databases.

We'll design a disaster recovery plan using cross-region snapshots and replicas.

A rapid-fire review of when to use each major database service. Includes a downloadable cheat sheet.

We'll break down common trick questions and the specific keywords to watch out for.

Learn a proven strategy for pacing yourself through the exam questions.

We'll go through a set of practice questions, explaining the reasoning behind each correct answer.

Another set of challenging questions focusing on performance tuning and cost optimization.

A final practical challenge: deploy a complete database solution for a sample web application.

What's next after the DBS-CO1? We'll suggest areas for further specialization and learning.

Final words of encouragement and a checklist for what to do before and on exam day.