SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company wants to migrate 500 TB of data from an on-premises data center to Amazon S3. The company has a 1 Gbps dedicated network connection to AWS. What is the most cost-effective and time-efficient migration method?
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
✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge to physically ship the data to AWS.
AWS Snowball Edge is the most cost-effective and time-efficient method for migrating 500 TB of data over a 1 Gbps dedicated connection. At 1 Gbps, the theoretical maximum transfer time for 500 TB is over 46 days, not accounting for overhead and network issues. Snowball Edge physically ships the data, avoiding network transfer delays. Option B is wrong because S3 Transfer Acceleration still uses the network and does not reduce the transfer time sufficiently for 500 TB. Option C is wrong because AWS DataSync is optimized for smaller, ongoing transfers and would still be limited by the 1 Gbps link. Option D is wrong because Direct Connect provides a dedicated network connection but still requires transferring data over the network, which would take many days.
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 AWS Snowball Edge to physically ship the data to AWS.
Why this is correct
Snowball Edge provides fast, secure physical transfer; economical for large datasets.
- ✗
Use S3 Transfer Acceleration to upload data over the existing internet connection.
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration improves speed but still limited by 1 Gbps; transfer would take ~46 days.
- ✗
Use AWS DataSync to transfer data over the dedicated network.
Why it's wrong here
DataSync is for smaller datasets or ongoing replication; 500 TB would take many days.
- ✗
Establish an AWS Direct Connect connection and use S3 multipart upload.
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect provides dedicated bandwidth but still limited to 1 Gbps; transfer time long.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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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.