The answer is AWS Snowball Edge. This is the correct choice because when migrating a large file server with 10 TB of infrequently changing data over a slow network, a physical device bypasses bandwidth limitations entirely by shipping data via courier, ensuring the one-week deadline is met. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of hybrid storage migration trade-offs—specifically that Snowball Edge is designed for petabyte-scale transfers where network speed is the bottleneck, while services like DataSync or S3 Transfer Acceleration still depend on available internet throughput. A common trap is choosing DataSync for its automation, but remember: no amount of optimization can fix a fundamentally slow pipe for large initial loads. Memory tip: think “Snowball for the slow haul, DataSync for the fast lane.”
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. 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 company wants to migrate its on-premises file server to AWS. The file server contains 10 TB of data that changes infrequently. The company has a limited bandwidth internet connection and needs to complete the migration within one week. Which AWS service should the company use for the initial data transfer?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS Snowball Edge
Option C is correct because AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device that can handle large data transfers over slow networks. Option A is incorrect because AWS DataSync requires network bandwidth. Option B is incorrect because AWS DMS is for databases. Option D is incorrect because S3 Transfer Acceleration speeds up transfers over the internet but still relies on bandwidth.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration still requires network bandwidth and may not meet the one-week deadline.
✓
AWS Snowball Edge
Why this is correct
Snowball Edge is a physical device that can be shipped, bypassing bandwidth limitations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
DMS is designed for database migration, not file servers.
✗
AWS DataSync
Why it's wrong here
DataSync uses the network and would take too long with limited bandwidth.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Snowball Edge — Option C is correct because AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device that can handle large data transfers over slow networks. Option A is incorrect because AWS DataSync requires network bandwidth. Option B is incorrect because AWS DMS is for databases. Option D is incorrect because S3 Transfer Acceleration speeds up transfers over the internet but still relies on bandwidth.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 plans to migrate 50 on-premises virtual machines (VMs) to AWS. The migration must be completed within 2 weeks. The VMs run various operating systems and have a total data size of 10 TB. The company has a low-bandwidth internet connection (50 Mbps). Which migration approach minimizes the time to transfer the data?
easy
A.Set up an AWS Direct Connect connection to increase bandwidth
B.Create a VPN tunnel to AWS and use rsync to copy the data
C.Use AWS Application Migration Service to replicate the VMs continuously
✓ D.Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer the VM images physically
Why D: AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device that can handle large data transfers over low-bandwidth connections. AWS Application Migration Service relies on network replication, which would be too slow. Direct Connect would require longer setup time. VPN is also network-based and slow.
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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.
Question Discussion
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