AWS Certified Database - Specialty (DBS-C01) - RETIRED¶

Important Notice¶

The AWS Certified Database - Specialty (DBS-C01) certification was retired on April 29, 2024.

This certification is no longer available for new candidates. If you hold this certification, your credential will remain valid for three years from the date you earned it.

Replacement Certification¶

AWS has launched the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate certification as a replacement, which became available on March 12, 2024.

📖 AWS Data Engineer - Associate - Official certification page

Key Differences¶

• Level: Associate (vs. Specialty for DBS-C01)
• Broader Scope: Covers data engineering beyond just databases
• Modern Focus: Includes latest AWS data services and best practices
• Career Alignment: Better aligned with current data professional roles

For Current Credential Holders¶

If you currently hold the DBS-C01 certification: - Your certification remains valid for 3 years from the date earned - You can maintain your credential by earning other AWS certifications - Consider pursuing complementary certifications to expand your expertise

Historical DBS-C01 Exam Information¶

Exam Domains (Historical)¶

1. Workload-Specific Database Design (26%)
2. Select appropriate database services
3. Determine database strategies

4. Design database solutions

5. Deployment and Migration (20%)

6. Deploy databases
7. Migrate to AWS databases

8. Perform backup and restore

9. Management and Operations (18%)

10. Maintain databases
11. Optimize database performance

12. Ensure database availability

13. Monitoring and Troubleshooting (18%)

14. Monitor databases
15. Troubleshoot database issues

16. Optimize queries

17. Database Security (18%)

18. Implement database encryption
19. Control database access
20. Audit database activity

Key Services Covered (Historical)¶

• Amazon RDS: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server, Amazon Aurora
• Amazon DynamoDB: NoSQL key-value and document database
• Amazon Redshift: Data warehousing
• Amazon DocumentDB: MongoDB-compatible database
• Amazon Neptune: Graph database
• Amazon Keyspaces: Cassandra-compatible database
• Amazon QLDB: Ledger database
• Amazon Timestream: Time series database
• AWS Database Migration Service: Database migration
• AWS Schema Conversion Tool: Schema migration

Alternative Certifications for Database Professionals¶

Current AWS Data-Related Certifications¶

1. AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate (Recommended)
2. Comprehensive data engineering including databases
3. Data pipeline design and implementation
4. Data store selection and management

5. Data security and governance

6. AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

7. Database architecture design
8. Multi-tier application architectures

9. Cost optimization for database workloads

10. AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

11. Advanced database architectures
12. Migration strategies
13. High availability and disaster recovery

14. Multi-region database deployments

15. AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate

16. Database operations and monitoring
17. Backup and recovery procedures
18. Performance optimization

Learning Path for Database Professionals¶

1. Foundation: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (if new to AWS)
2. Core Skills: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
3. Specialization: AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate
4. Advanced: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

AWS Database Services (Current)¶

Relational Databases¶

• Amazon RDS: Managed relational database service
• 📖 RDS Documentation - Complete RDS guide
• 📖 RDS User Guide - Getting started with RDS
• Amazon Aurora: High-performance MySQL/PostgreSQL-compatible
• 📖 Aurora Documentation - Aurora user guide
• Amazon Aurora Serverless: On-demand autoscaling RDS
• 📖 Aurora Serverless v2 - Serverless scaling

NoSQL Databases¶

• Amazon DynamoDB: Fast, flexible NoSQL database
• 📖 DynamoDB Documentation - DynamoDB developer guide
• Amazon DocumentDB: MongoDB-compatible
• 📖 DocumentDB Documentation - MongoDB-compatible database guide
• Amazon Keyspaces: Apache Cassandra-compatible
• 📖 Keyspaces Documentation - Cassandra-compatible service

Specialized Databases¶

• Amazon Neptune: Graph database for connected data
• 📖 Neptune Documentation - Graph database guide
• Amazon QLDB: Ledger database for immutable history
• 📖 QLDB Documentation - Quantum ledger database
• Amazon Timestream: Time series database
• 📖 Timestream Documentation - Time series data management
• Amazon MemoryDB for Redis: Redis-compatible in-memory database
• 📖 MemoryDB Documentation - Durable in-memory database
• Amazon ElastiCache: In-memory caching (Redis, Memcached)
• 📖 ElastiCache Documentation - Caching service guide

Data Warehousing and Analytics¶

• Amazon Redshift: Cloud data warehouse
• 📖 Redshift Documentation - Data warehouse guide
• Amazon Redshift Serverless: Serverless data warehousing
• 📖 Redshift Serverless - Serverless data warehouse
• Amazon Athena: Serverless SQL query service
• 📖 Athena Documentation - Query S3 data with SQL

Migration Services¶

• AWS Database Migration Service (DMS): Migrate databases to AWS
• 📖 DMS Documentation - Database migration guide
• AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT): Convert database schemas
• 📖 SCT Documentation - Schema conversion guide

Resources for Database Professionals on AWS¶

👉 Complete AWS Study Resources Guide

Official AWS Database Resources¶

• AWS Database Blog - Latest features and best practices
• AWS Database Learning Path - Recommended courses
• AWS Skill Builder - Free database courses
• AWS Database Documentation - Comprehensive service guides
• AWS re:Invent Database Sessions - Deep-dive videos

Database Best Practices¶

• AWS Well-Architected Framework - Database Lens
• Amazon RDS Best Practices
• DynamoDB Best Practices
• Database Migration Best Practices

Questions?¶

For questions about certification retirement or transitions, please contact AWS Training and Certification: - AWS Certification Support - AWS Training Portal - AWS Certification FAQs

Last Updated: 2024 Status: RETIRED - No longer available for new candidates