SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company is using AWS CloudFormation to deploy infrastructure. They want to ensure that updates to a stack do not cause downtime for a critical web application. Which THREE strategies should they consider? (Choose THREE.)
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
✓
Apply a stack policy to protect critical resources.
The correct answers are B, C, D. Option B: Apply a stack policy to protect critical resources. A stack policy is an IAM resource-based policy that controls which stack resources can be updated or deleted. By setting a stack policy with a Deny for updates on critical resources, you prevent accidental modification during stack updates, thus reducing downtime risk. Option C: Use a rolling update strategy with an appropriate batch size. When updating an Auto Scaling group or other resources that support rolling updates, you can configure the update policy to update instances in batches. This minimizes downtime by ensuring that only a portion of the instances are replaced at a time, keeping the application available. Option D: Use Change Sets to preview stack updates. Change sets allow you to review the changes that will be made to your stack before executing them. This helps identify potential issues or unintended modifications that could cause downtime, giving you a chance to reject the changes. Option A is incorrect because the DeletionPolicy attribute is used to preserve or back up resources when a stack is deleted, not during updates. It does not prevent downtime during updates. Option E is incorrect because nested stacks help organize resources into reusable components but do not inherently prevent downtime during updates; they are a management and modularity tool, not a downtime prevention strategy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use the DeletionPolicy attribute to retain resources.
Why it's wrong here
DeletionPolicy only applies when the stack is deleted, not updated.
- ✓
Apply a stack policy to protect critical resources.
Why this is correct
Stack policies prevent accidental updates to protected resources.
- ✓
Use a rolling update strategy with an appropriate batch size.
Why this is correct
Rolling updates update instances in batches, minimizing downtime.
- ✓
Use Change Sets to preview stack updates.
Why this is correct
Change sets let you see how changes will affect running resources.
- ✗
Use nested stacks to isolate components.
Why it's wrong here
Nested stacks help with organization but don't directly prevent downtime.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SAP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company uses AWS CloudFormation to deploy infrastructure. They need to ensure that updates to a stack do not cause downtime for a critical database. Which TWO strategies should they use?
easy- A.Create a new stack and migrate data.
- ✓ B.Use an UpdatePolicy attribute for rolling updates.
- C.Disable rollback on stack update failures.
- D.Use a service role for CloudFormation.
- ✓ E.Use a DeletionPolicy attribute of Retain on the database resource.
Why B: Correct answers are B and E. Option B: Using an UpdatePolicy attribute allows you to control how updates are applied, such as rolling updates across instances, which minimizes downtime. Option E: Setting a DeletionPolicy of Retain on the database resource ensures that the database is not deleted during stack updates or deletions, preventing accidental data loss and downtime. Option A is incorrect because creating a new stack would require data migration, which can cause downtime. Option C is incorrect because disabling rollback does not prevent downtime; it can leave the stack in a failed state. Option D is incorrect because a service role controls permissions, not update behavior.
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.