Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) Custom for SQL Server now supports creating database instances from a Custom Engine Version (CEV). Customers can use CEV to build a golden image from an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) with the required Windows operating system (OS) and database customizations, such as custom drivers or third-party software. They can then create RDS Custom for SQL Server instances based on this golden image. Using a CEV allows customers to maintain their preferred baseline configuration of the OS and database. In addition, customers can deploy fleets of RDS Custom for SQL Server database instances with the same configuration. User-initiated recovery actions such as snapshot restores and point-in-time recovery benefit from restoring customizations, which can lead to faster recovery times.