SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
A company has multiple AWS accounts and wants to use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a common set of resources across all accounts. The StackSet should be managed from the management account. What permissions are required?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse a CloudFormation service role (used for stack operations within a single account) with the cross-account IAM roles required by StackSets, leading them to select Option C.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an IAM role in each target account with a trust policy allowing the management account to assume it.
AWS CloudFormation StackSets require the management account to assume an IAM role in each target account to deploy resources. This role must have a trust policy that allows the management account's StackSets service-linked role (or a custom role) to assume it, granting the necessary permissions to create, update, or delete stack instances across accounts. Without this cross-account trust relationship, StackSets cannot perform operations in target accounts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create IAM users in target accounts with AdministratorAccess.
Why it's wrong here
StackSets do not use IAM users.
- ✓
Create an IAM role in each target account with a trust policy allowing the management account to assume it.
Why this is correct
StackSets assume this role to deploy resources.
- ✗
Use a CloudFormation service role in the management account.
Why it's wrong here
Service role is for stack operations in one account.
- ✗
Apply an SCP to allow CloudFormation actions across accounts.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs only restrict, they don't grant permissions.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.