AWS Database Specialty Study Roadmap

Domain 1: Relational Databases — RDS engines (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server), Aurora architecture

Domain 1: NoSQL Databases — DynamoDB design patterns, table structures, partition keys, sort keys

Domain 1: Purpose-Built DBs — ElastiCache (Redis/Memcached), Neptune, DocumentDB, Keyspaces, QLDB, Timestream

Domain 2: Database Migration — DMS tasks, SCT conversions, homogeneous vs heterogeneous migrations

Domain 2: Deployment Strategies — Blue/green deployments, Multi-AZ, read replicas, global databases

Domain 3: Maintenance & Operations — Backups, snapshots, point-in-time recovery, patching, parameter groups

Domain 3: Automation & Scaling — Auto Scaling for Aurora/DynamoDB, Lambda triggers, EventBridge automation

Domain 4: Monitoring — CloudWatch metrics, Enhanced Monitoring, Performance Insights, slow query logs

Domain 4: Troubleshooting — Connection issues, replication lag, capacity planning, deadlock analysis

Domain 5: Encryption — KMS, TDE, SSL/TLS connections, encryption at rest and in transit

Domain 5: Access Control — IAM database authentication, security groups, VPC endpoints, Secrets Manager

Full Review: Practice exams, Hands-on labs, Weak areas, Exam logistics