The answer is a Provisioned IOPS SSD such as io2. This EBS volume type is the most suitable for a high IOPS transactional database because it delivers consistent, predictable performance with a 99.999% durability guarantee, and crucially, it allows you to provision IOPS independently of storage capacity, ensuring the database never suffers from I/O bottlenecks. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between volume families under the "Design High-Performance Architectures" domain; a common trap is choosing a General Purpose SSD (gp3) for its lower cost, but gp3’s baseline performance can throttle under sustained high IOPS unless you manually increase the IOPS setting, which still lacks the dedicated latency guarantees of io2. The key differentiator here is the requirement to avoid custom operational scripts—io2’s native, provisioned performance eliminates the need for any scripting to manage I/O throttling or volume striping. Memory tip: For transactional databases that demand consistent, high IOPS, remember "io2 for I/O intensive"—the "2" stands for double the durability of io1.
SAA-C03 Practice Question: io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type.
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design high-performing architectures. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. A key principle to apply: io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type.. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A media archive requires consistent high IOPS for a transactional database on EC2. Which EBS volume type is most suitable? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Provisioned IOPS SSD such as io2
A Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) volume is the correct choice because it delivers consistent, high IOPS required for transactional databases, with a 99.999% durability guarantee and the ability to provision IOPS independently of storage capacity. This avoids custom operational scripts by providing predictable performance natively through the EBS volume type.
Key principle: io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Provisioned IOPS SSD such as io2
Why this is correct
io2 is designed for business-critical workloads requiring consistent high IOPS and durability.
Related concept
io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type.
✗
st1 Throughput Optimized HDD
Why it's wrong here
st1 is for throughput-oriented sequential workloads, not high-IOPS transactional databases.
✗
Instance store only
Why it's wrong here
Instance store can be fast but is ephemeral and not generally suitable for durable databases.
✗
sc1 Cold HDD
Why it's wrong here
sc1 is low-cost cold storage with lower performance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose instance store (Option C) thinking it provides the highest performance, but they overlook its lack of persistence and the requirement for custom scripts to manage data durability, which violates the 'no custom operational scripts' constraint.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
io2 volumes use a Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) interface on Nitro-based instances to achieve sub-millisecond latency and up to 256,000 IOPS per volume. The IOPS-to-GB ratio for io2 is 1,000:1 (up to 64 TiB), allowing high IOPS even with small volumes, which is critical for database workloads like MySQL or Oracle that require consistent latency for transaction logs. In real-world scenarios, a database with 10,000 IOPS on a 100 GiB io2 volume would need only 10 GiB of provisioned storage, whereas gp3 would require 3,334 GiB to match that IOPS, making io2 cost-effective for high-performance needs.
KKey Concepts to Remember
io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type.
io2 is designed for business-critical, I/O-intensive transactional workloads.
io2 allows explicit provisioning of IOPS and throughput for consistent performance.
io2 offers high durability and low latency suitable for databases.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Design High-Performing Architectures — This question tests Design High-Performing Architectures — io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Provisioned IOPS SSD such as io2 — A Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) volume is the correct choice because it delivers consistent, high IOPS required for transactional databases, with a 99.999% durability guarantee and the ability to provision IOPS independently of storage capacity. This avoids custom operational scripts by providing predictable performance natively through the EBS volume type.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Review io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
io2 is a Provisioned IOPS SSD EBS volume type.
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