Preface

Since 2009, when Amazon Web Services launched the first fully-managed cloud database solution (Relational Database Service (RDS), the desire for Database Administrators (DBAs) with a cloud skillset has grown rapidly. Today, the AWS Certified Database Specialty certification is one of the most sought after.

Many DBAs and other IT professionals are looking to expand their skills in cloud computing and cloud databases in particular. The differences between on-premises databases and the cloud are vast, and as such, many DBAs can find they have many barriers to overcome to adapt. This book is designed to help fill that gap. I have written this book in a practical style that will allow you the opportunity to understand both the theory of the subject and to experiment using cloud technology through hands-on workshops and labs.

By the end of this book, you will be able to comfortably explain the major concepts in cloud databases, from the basics to advanced performance tuning and troubleshooting. You will also be equipped with the practical skills to continue your learning beyond this book to develop additional skills to help progress your career. Ultimately, this book will provide you with the knowledge and skills to pass the AWS DBS-C01 exam confidently.

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone with a background working with databases who is looking to expand into the cloud or to develop their existing skills. However, this book assumes that you have a low base level of knowledge in databases or in AWS in general, and so dedicates the opening chapters to fundamental skills.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, AWS Certified Database – Specialty Exam Overview, introduces the exam topics and format and offers hints and tips to help you excel in the exam.

Chapter 2, Understanding Database Fundamentals, helps to give an overview of database technologies and explains the different types of databases, for readers not proficient in database technologies.

Chapter 3, Understanding AWS Infrastructure, offers a high-level view of AWS as a whole as well as a deeper dive into some of the AWS services you need to know.

Chapter 4, Relational Database Service, introduces the first of the AWS fully-managed database offerings.

Chapter 5, Amazon Aurora, explores a custom database service developed by AWS.

Chapter 6, Amazon DynamoDB, introduces our first NoSQL database offered by AWS.

Chapter 7, Redshift and DocumentDB, looks at two specialized database solutions, one for analytics and the other for storing data held within documents.

Chapter 8, Neptune, Quantum Ledger Database, and Timestream, explores three different database technologies: graphs, ledges, and time series.

Chapter 9, Amazon ElastiCache, looks at using a caching database to improve database and application performance.

Chapter 10, The AWS Schema Conversion Tool and AWS Database Migration Service, introduces knowledge around database migrations to AWS and changing the database engine.

Chapter 11, Database Task Automation, covers how to use automation skills and services to reduce manual work and enforce standards.

Chapter 12, AWS Database Security, dives deep into database security processes and procedures.

Chapter 13, CloudWatch and Logging, looks into how to monitor your databases and how to use CloudWatch to find anomalies and errors.

Chapter 14, Backup and Restore, offers a comprehensive explanation of AWS backup and restore techniques as well as theory on RTO and RPO.

Chapter 15, Troubleshooting Tools and Techniques, introduces troubleshooting techniques to help find and resolve common database errors.

Chapter 16, Exam Practice, provides an opportunity to test your new skills in a practice exam with questions very similar to the ones you will see in the exam.

Chapter 17, Answers, provides you with all the answers to the questions at the end of every chapter and their explanations.

To get the most out of this book

To complete the hands-on sections of this book, you will need an AWS account complete with root access. Chapter 1, AWS Certified Database – Specialty Exam Overview, contains instructions on how to set up your account in the best way. You will also need some software to allow you to connect to databases such as SQL Developer or MySQL Workbench.

If you are using the digital version of this book, we advise you to type the code yourself or access the code from the book's GitHub repository (a link is available in the next section). Doing so will help you avoid any potential errors related to the copying and pasting of code.

Each chapter may have different requirements so please review the Technical requirements section at the start of each chapter.

Download the example code files

You can download the example code files for this book from GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/AWS-Certified-Database---Specialty-DBS-C01-Certification. If there's an update to the code, it will be updated in the GitHub repository.

We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

Download the color images

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://static.packt-cdn.com/downloads/9781803243108_ColorImages.pdf.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: "Mount the downloaded WebStorm-10*.dmg disk image file as another disk in your system."

A block of code is set as follows:

html, body, #map {
 height: 100%; 
 margin: 0;
 padding: 0
}

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

[default]
exten => s,1,Dial(Zap/1|30)
exten => s,2,Voicemail(u100)
exten => s,102,Voicemail(b100)
exten => i,1,Voicemail(s0)

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

$ mkdir css
$ cd css

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: "Select System info from the Administration panel."

Tips or Important notes

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Get in touch

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