Maintaining Data Integrity during Redshift Database Changes
Question
A company is currently hosting a database in Amazon Redshift.
Due to the new requirements in data that needs to be stored in the table, the following changes would occur on one or more of the tables Changes to existing columns Uploading of completely new data to the tables It needs to be ensured that the Redshift database can be restored to its original state, in case there are any issues with the change process.
Which of the following can help ensure this in the most efficient manner?
Answers
Explanations
Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer
A. B. C. D.Answer - A.
Snapshots are point-in-time backups of a cluster.
There are two types of snapshots: automated and manual.
Amazon Redshift stores these snapshots internally in Amazon S3 by using an encrypted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection.
If you need to restore from a snapshot, Amazon Redshift creates a new cluster and imports data from the snapshot that you specify.
It's better to take a manual snapshot which would contain the latest data.
This should be done just before the change process.
Option B is partially correct, but the automated snapshot may not be the most recent copy of your data.
Option C is incorrect since this would be a very inefficient way to manage the backup and restore operation.
Option D is incorrect since AWS Kinesis should not be used as a data store.
For more information on working with snapshots, please refer to the below URL.
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/redshift/latest/mgmt/working-with-snapshots.htmlThe best way to ensure that a Redshift database can be restored to its original state after changes have been made to its tables is by creating a manual snapshot of the database. Therefore, the correct answer is A.
Creating a manual snapshot of the database allows the database to be backed up before any changes are made. This ensures that if any issues arise during the change process, the database can be restored to its original state by restoring the snapshot. This method is efficient and straightforward.
Option B, creating a copy of the last automated snapshot, is not a reliable option for restoring a database to its original state. Automated snapshots are taken at regular intervals, and if changes are made to the database after the last snapshot was taken, those changes will not be captured in the snapshot. Therefore, it is not an ideal method for ensuring that a database can be restored to its original state after changes have been made.
Option C, using the UNLOAD command to unload all the data to S3, is not a backup and recovery method. UNLOAD command is used to unload data from the Redshift database to S3, which can be useful for archiving data, moving data to other systems, or performing data analysis. However, it is not a reliable backup and recovery method for a Redshift database.
Option D, streaming all the data to AWS Kinesis as a backup, is not a recommended method for backing up a Redshift database. AWS Kinesis is a real-time data streaming service that is used to capture, process, and analyze real-time data. While Kinesis can be used for data replication, it is not an ideal backup and recovery method for a Redshift database.
In summary, the most efficient and reliable method for ensuring that a Redshift database can be restored to its original state after changes have been made is by creating a manual snapshot of the database.
