AWS Certified Database — Specialty

data-analytics Advanced Updated: 2025-04-10 Methodology

The AWS Certified Database — Specialty validates expertise in recommending, designing, and maintaining optimal AWS database solutions. It covers relational (RDS, Aurora), NoSQL (DynamoDB), graph (Neptune), in-memory (ElastiCache), and time-series (Timestream) databases.

$138K
Avg Salary
50%
Pass Rate
6.8K
Job Listings
140h
Study Time
$300
Exam Cost

Exam Details

Exam CodeDBS-C01
Exam Cost$300 USD
Duration180 minutes
Questions65
Passing Score750/1000
ProviderAmazon Web Services
Difficulty7/10

Salary Data

Professionals holding the AWS Certified Database — Specialty certification earn between $105,000 and $175,000 annually, with an average of $138,000.

Job market demand trend: Growing (+10% YoY)

Prerequisites

  • AWS Solutions Architect Associate or equivalent AWS knowledge recommended
  • 5+ years of experience with relational and NoSQL databases
  • 2+ years of hands-on experience with AWS database services

Skills Covered

Amazon RDS & Aurora AdministrationDynamoDB Design & OptimizationDatabase Migration (DMS, SCT)ElastiCache & MemoryDBAmazon Neptune (Graph DB)Database Security & EncryptionBackup, Recovery & High Availability

Best Study Resources

Official

AWS Exam Guide — DBS-C01

 Course

Stephane Maarek — AWS Database Specialty

 Practice Exams

Tutorials Dojo Practice Exams

Comparisons Featuring AWS Certified Database — Specialty

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Career Paths With AWS Certified Database — Specialty

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the AWS Database Specialty worth it?
For database administrators and data engineers working in AWS, it's very valuable. It validates deep knowledge of AWS database services and earns an average salary of $138K. It's particularly useful for professionals migrating on-premises databases to AWS.
How hard is the DBS-C01 exam?
Challenging with an estimated 50% pass rate. It requires deep understanding of multiple AWS database engines, their use cases, performance tuning, migration strategies, and security. Hands-on experience with RDS, Aurora, and DynamoDB is essential.
Which AWS databases should I focus on most?
RDS/Aurora and DynamoDB make up the majority of exam questions. Also study DMS (Database Migration Service) thoroughly, as migration scenarios are common. ElastiCache, Neptune, and Redshift appear but with less frequency.

Data Sources

  • Salary data — Aggregated from job postings and salary surveys (US median)
  • Job listings — Active postings across major job boards
  • Pass rates — Community-reported estimates (not official vendor data)
  • Exam details — Amazon Web Services official documentation