Module 5 Introduction

Learning objectives

In this module, you will learn how to:

• Summarize the basic concept of storage and databases.

• Describe the benefits of Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS).

• Describe the benefits of Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3).

• Describe the benefits of Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS).

• Summarize various storage solutions.

• Describe the benefits of Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon

RDS).

• Describe the benefits of Amazon DynamoDB.

• Summarize various database services.

To start the module introduction video, choose the play button.

Instance stores

Block-level storage volumes behave like physical hard drives.

An instance store(opens in a new tab) provides temporary block-level storage for

an Amazon EC2 instance. An instance store is disk storage that is physically
attached to the host computer for an EC2 instance, and therefore has the same
lifespan as the instance. When the instance is terminated, you lose any data in the
instance store.

To review an example of how instance stores work, choose the arrow buttons to
display each step.

An Amazon EC2 instance with an attached instance store is running.

 1.

The instance is stopped or terminated.

1.
All data on the attached instance store is deleted.

1.
Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS)(opens in a new tab) is a service that
provides block-level storage volumes that you can use with Amazon EC2
instances. If you stop or terminate an Amazon EC2 instance, all the data on the
attached EBS volume remains available.

To create an EBS volume, you define the configuration (such as volume size and
type) and provision it. After you create an EBS volume, it can attach to an Amazon
EC2 instance.

Because EBS volumes are for data that needs to persist, it’s important to back up
the data. You can take incremental backups of EBS volumes by creating Amazon
EBS snapshots.

Amazon EBS snapshots

Incremental backups of EBS volumes with Amazon EBS snapshots. On Day 1, two
volumes are backed up. Day 2 adds one new volume and the new volume is
backed up. Day 3 adds two more volumes for a total of five volumes. Only the two
new volumes are backed up.

An EBS snapshot(opens in a new tab) is an incremental backup. This means that

the first backup taken of a volume copies all the data. For subsequent backups,
only the blocks of data that have changed since the most recent snapshot are
saved.

Incremental backups are different from full backups, in which all the data in a
storage volume copies each time a backup occurs. The full backup includes data
that has not changed since the most recent backup.

Knowledge check

For guidance on navigating this question using the keyboard, expand the following
keyboard instructions.
Object storage

In object storage, each object consists of data, metadata, and a key.

The data might be an image, video, text document, or any other type of file.
Metadata contains information about what the data is, how it is used, the object
size, and so on. An object’s key is its unique identifier.

Recall that when you modify a file in block storage, only the pieces that are
changed are updated. When a file in object storage is modified, the entire object is
updated.

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)(opens in a new tab) is a service

that provides object-level storage. Amazon S3 stores data as objects in buckets.
You can upload any type of file to Amazon S3, such as images, videos, text files,
and so on. For example, you might use Amazon S3 to store backup files, media
files for a website, or archived documents. Amazon S3 offers unlimited storage
space. The maximum file size for an object in Amazon S3 is 5 TB.

When you upload a file to Amazon S3, you can set permissions to control visibility
and access to it. You can also use the Amazon S3 versioning feature to track
changes to your objects over time.

Amazon S3 storage classes

With Amazon S3, you pay only for what you use. You can choose from a range of
storage classes(opens in a new tab) to select a fit for your business and cost
needs. When selecting an Amazon S3 storage class, consider these two factors:

• How often you plan to retrieve your data

• How available you need your data to be

To learn more about Amazon S3 storage classes, expand each of the following
eight categories.

Knowledge check

For guidance on navigating this question using the keyboard, expand the following
keyboard instructions.

You want to store data that is infrequently accessed but must be immediately
available when needed. Which Amazon S3 storage class should you use?

S3 Intelligent-Tiering

S3 Glacier Deep Archive

S3 Standard-IA

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval

Incorrect

The correct response option is S3 Standard-IA.

The S3 Standard-IA storage class is ideal for data that is infrequently accessed but
requires high availability when needed. Both S3 Standard and S3 Standard-IA store
data in a minimum of three Availability Zones. S3 Standard-IA provides the same
level of availability as S3 Standard but at a lower storage price.
The other response options are incorrect because:

• In the S3 Intelligent-Tiering storage class, Amazon S3 monitors objects’

access patterns. If you haven’t accessed an object for 30 consecutive days,
Amazon S3 automatically moves it to the infrequent access tier, S3
Standard-IA. If you access an object in the infrequent access tier, S3
automatically moves it to the frequent access tier, S3 Standard.

• S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval and S3 Glacier Deep Archive are low-cost

storage classes that are ideal for data archiving. They would not be the best
choice for this scenario, which requires high availability. You can retrieve
objects stored in the S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval storage class within a few
minutes to a few hours. By comparison, you can retrieve objects stored in
the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class within 12 hours.

Comparing Amazon EBS and Amazon S3

To start the video on comparing Amazon EBS and Amazon S3, choose the play
button.

To access a transcript of the video, choose the following transcript.

S3 Standard
• Designed for frequently accessed data

• Stores data in a minimum of three Availability Zones

Amazon S3 Standard provides high availability for objects. This makes it a good
choice for a wide range of use cases, such as websites, content distribution, and
data analytics. Amazon S3 Standard has a higher cost than other storage classes
intended for infrequently accessed data and archival storage.

S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard - IA)

• Ideal for infrequently accessed data

• Similar to Amazon S3 Standard but has a lower storage price and higher
retrieval Price

Amazon S3 Standard-IA is ideal for data infrequently accessed but requires high
availability when needed. Both Amazon S3 Standard and Amazon S3 Standard-IA
store data in a minimum of three Availability Zones. Amazon S3 Standard-IA
provides the same level of availability as Amazon S3 Standard but with a lower
storage price and a higher retrieval price.

S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone- IA)

• Stores data in a single Availability Zone

• Has a lower storage price than Amazon S3 Standard-IA

Compared to S3 Standard and S3 Standard-IA, which store data in a minimum of

three Availability Zones, S3 One Zone-IA stores data in a single Availability Zone.
This makes it a good storage class to consider if the following conditions apply:

• You want to save costs on storage.

• You can easily reproduce your data in the event of an Availability Zone
failure.

S3 Intelligent – Tiering

• Ideal for data with unknown or changing access patterns

• Requires a small monthly monitoring and automation fee per object

In the S3 Intelligent-Tiering storage class, Amazon S3 monitors objects’ access

patterns. If you haven’t accessed an object for 30 consecutive days, Amazon S3
automatically moves it to the infrequent access tier, S3 Standard-IA. If you access
an object in the infrequent access tier, Amazon S3 automatically moves it to the
frequent access tier, S3 Standard.

S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval

• Works well for archived data that requires immediate access

• Can retrieve objects within a few milliseconds

When you decide between the options for archival storage, consider how quickly
you must retrieve the archived objects. You can retrieve objects stored in the S3
Glacier Instant Retrieval storage class within milliseconds, with the same
performance as S3 Standard.

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval

• Low-cost storage designed for data archiving

• Able to retrieve objects within a few minutes to hours

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is a low-cost storage class that is ideal for data
archiving. For example, you might use this storage class to store archived
customer records or older photos and video files. You can retrieve your data from
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval from 1 minute to 12 hours.

S3 Glacier Deep Archive

• Lowest-cost object storage class ideal for archiving

• Able to retrieve objects within 12 hours

S3 Deep Archive supports long-term retention and digital preservation for data that
might be accessed once or twice in a year. This storage class is the lowest-cost
storage in the AWS Cloud, with data retrieval from 12 to 48 hours. All objects from
this storage class are replicated and stored across at least three geographically
dispersed Availability Zones.

S3 Outposts

• Creates S3 buckets on Amazon S3 Outposts

• Makes it easier to retrieve, store, and access data on AWS Outposts

Amazon S3 Outposts delivers object storage to your on-premises AWS Outposts

environment. Amazon S3 Outposts is designed to store data durably and
redundantly across multiple devices and servers on your Outposts. It works well
for workloads with local data residency requirements that must satisfy demanding
performance needs by keeping data close to on-premises applications.
The correct response option is S3 Standard-IA.

The S3 Standard-IA storage class is ideal for data that is infrequently accessed but
requires high availability when needed. Both S3 Standard and S3 Standard-IA store
data in a minimum of three Availability Zones. S3 Standard-IA provides the same
level of availability as S3 Standard but at a lower storage price.

The other response options are incorrect because:

• In the S3 Intelligent-Tiering storage class, Amazon S3 monitors objects’

access patterns. If you haven’t accessed an object for 30 consecutive days,
Amazon S3 automatically moves it to the infrequent access tier, S3
Standard-IA. If you access an object in the infrequent access tier, S3
automatically moves it to the frequent access tier, S3 Standard.

• S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval and S3 Glacier Deep Archive are low-cost

storage classes that are ideal for data archiving. They would not be the best
choice for this scenario, which requires high availability. You can retrieve
objects stored in the S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval storage class within a few
minutes to a few hours. By comparison, you can retrieve objects stored in
the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class within 12 hours.

File storage

In file storage, multiple clients (such as users, applications, servers, and so on)
can access data that is stored in shared file folders. In this approach, a storage
server uses block storage with a local file system to organize files. Clients access
data through file paths.

Compared to block storage and object storage, file storage is ideal for use cases in
which a large number of services and resources need to access the same data at
the same time.

Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS)(opens in a new tab) is a scalable file
system used with AWS Cloud services and on-premises resources. As you add and
remove files, Amazon EFS grows and shrinks automatically. It can scale on
demand to petabytes without disrupting applications.

Comparing Amazon EBS and Amazon EFS

Select each of the cards below to review a comparison of Amazon EBS and
Amazon EFS.

Amazon EBS

An Amazon EBS volume stores data in a single Availability Zone.

To attach an Amazon EC2 instance to an EBS volume, both the Amazon EC2
instance and the EBS volume must reside within the same Availability Zone.

Amazon EFS

Amazon EFS is a regional service. It stores data in and across multiple Availability
Zones.

The duplicate storage enables you to access data concurrently from all the
Availability Zones in the Region where a file system is located. Additionally, on-
premises servers can access Amazon EFS using AWS Direct Connect.

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS)

Relational databases

In a relational database, data is stored in a way that relates it to other pieces of

data.
An example of a relational database might be the coffee shop’s inventory
management system. Each record in the database would include data for a single
item, such as product name, size, price, and so on.

Relational databases use structured query language (SQL) to store and query
data. This approach allows data to be stored in an easily understandable,
consistent, and scalable way. For example, the coffee shop owners can write a
SQL query to identify all the customers whose most frequently purchased drink is
a medium latte.

Example of data in a relational database:

ID Product name Size Price

1 Medium roast ground coffee 12 oz. $5.30

2 Dark roast ground coffee 20 oz. $9.27

Amazon Relational Database Service

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS)(opens in a new tab) is a

service that enables you to run relational databases in the AWS Cloud.

Amazon RDS is a managed service that automates tasks such as hardware

provisioning, database setup, patching, and backups. With these capabilities, you
can spend less time completing administrative tasks and more time using data to
innovate your applications. You can integrate Amazon RDS with other services to
fulfill your business and operational needs, such as using AWS Lambda to query
your database from a serverless application.

Amazon RDS provides a number of different security options. Many Amazon RDS
database engines offer encryption at rest (protecting data while it is stored) and
encryption in transit (protecting data while it is being sent and received).

Amazon RDS database engines

Amazon RDS is available on six database engines, which optimize for memory,
performance, or input/output (I/O). Supported database engines include:

• Amazon Aurora

• PostgreSQL

• MySQL

• MariaDB

• Oracle Database
 • Microsoft SQL Server

Amazon Aurora

Amazon Aurora(opens in a new tab) is an enterprise-class relational database. It

is compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL relational databases. It is up to five
times faster than standard MySQL databases and up to three times faster than
standard PostgreSQL databases.

Amazon Aurora helps to reduce your database costs by reducing unnecessary

input/output (I/O) operations, while ensuring that your database resources remain
reliable and available.

Consider Amazon Aurora if your workloads require high availability. It replicates six
copies of your data across three Availability Zones and continuously backs up your
data to Amazon S3.

Amazon DynamoDB

Nonrelational databases

In a nonrelational database, you create tables. A table is a place where you can
store and query data.

Nonrelational databases are sometimes referred to as “NoSQL databases”

because they use structures other than rows and columns to organize data. One
type of structural approach for nonrelational databases is key-value pairs. With
key-value pairs, data is organized into items (keys), and items have attributes
(values). You can think of attributes as being different features of your data.

In a key-value database, you can add or remove attributes from items in the table
at any time. Additionally, not every item in the table has to have the same
attributes.

Example of data in a nonrelational database:

Key Value

Name: John Doe

1 Address: 123 Any Street

Favorite drink: Medium latte

2 Name: Mary Major

Key Value

Address: 100 Main Street

Birthday: July 5, 1994

Amazon DynamoDB

Amazon DynamoDB(opens in a new tab) is a key-value database service. It

delivers single-digit millisecond performance at any scale.

To learn about features of DynamoDB, select each flashcard by choosing them.

Serverless

DynamoDB is serverless, which means that you do not have to provision, patch, or
manage servers.

Automatic scaling

You also do not have to install, maintain, or operate software.

The two correct response options are:

• Using SQL to organize data

• Storing data in an Amazon Aurora database

The other three response options are scenarios in which you should use Amazon
DynamoDB.

Amazon Redshift

Amazon Redshift(opens in a new tab) is a data warehousing service that you can
use for big data analytics. It offers the ability to collect data from many sources
and helps you to understand relationships and trends across your data.

AWS Database Migration Service

AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS)

AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS)(opens in a new tab) enables you to
migrate relational databases, nonrelational databases, and other types of data
stores.

With AWS DMS, you move data between a source database and a target database.
The source and target databases(opens in a new tab) can be of the same type or
different types. During the migration, your source database remains operational,
reducing downtime for any applications that rely on the database.

For example, suppose that you have a MySQL database that is stored on premises
in an Amazon EC2 instance or in Amazon RDS. Consider the MySQL database to be
your source database. Using AWS DMS, you could migrate your data to a target
database, such as an Amazon Aurora database.

Other use cases for AWS DMS

To review other use cases for AWS DMS, select each of the following flashcards.

Development and test database migrations

Enabling developers to test applications against production data without affecting

production users
Database consolidation

Combining several databases into a single database

Continuous replication

Sending ongoing copies of your data to other target sources instead of doing a one-
time migration

Additional Database Services

Additional database services

To learn more about additional database services, expand each of the following six
categories.

Amazon DocumentDB(opens in a new tab) is a document database service that

supports MongoDB workloads. (MongoDB is a document database program.)

Amazon Neptune(opens in a new tab) is a graph database service.

You can use Amazon Neptune to build and run applications that work with highly
connected datasets, such as recommendation engines, fraud detection, and
knowledge graphs.

Amazon Quantum Ledger Database (Amazon QLDB)(opens in a new tab) is a

ledger database service.

You can use Amazon QLDB to review a complete history of all the changes that
have been made to your application data.

Amazon Managed Blockchain(opens in a new tab) is a service that you can use to
create and manage blockchain networks with open-source frameworks.

Blockchain is a distributed ledger system that lets multiple parties run

transactions and share data without a central authority.
Amazon ElastiCache(opens in a new tab) is a service that adds caching layers on
top of your databases to help improve the read times of common requests.

It supports two types of data stores: Redis and Memcached.

Amazon DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)(opens in a new tab) is an in-memory

cache for DynamoDB.

It helps improve response times from single-digit milliseconds to microseconds.

In Module 5, you learned about the following concepts:

• Amazon EC2 instance store and Amazon EBS

• Amazon S3

• Amazon EFS

• Relational databases and Amazon RDS

• Nonrelational databases and DynamoDB

• Amazon Redshift

• AWS DMS

• Additional database services and accelerators