The answer is AWS CloudFormation StackSets, as this is the most efficient approach to deploy CloudTrail to all accounts in an AWS Organization. StackSets allow you to deploy a single CloudTrail template across every member account from the management account, automatically creating consistent trails that deliver logs to a central S3 bucket without per-account scripting or manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of centralized governance and multi-account management, often appearing as a distractor against options like individual CloudFormation stacks, AWS Config rules, or manual enablement. A common trap is choosing AWS Config, which can detect non-compliance but cannot deploy resources; StackSets are purpose-built for deploying identical infrastructure across accounts. Remember the memory tip: "StackSets stack the stacks" — they deploy a stack into each account, ensuring every account gets the same CloudTrail configuration from a single point of control.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 uses AWS Organizations and wants to ensure that all member accounts have AWS CloudTrail enabled and logs are delivered to a central S3 bucket in the management account. Which approach is MOST efficient?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail template to all accounts.
Option C is correct because AWS CloudFormation StackSets allow you to deploy a single CloudTrail template across all member accounts in an AWS Organization from a central management account. This approach is the most efficient as it automates the deployment, ensures consistent configuration, and delivers logs to the specified central S3 bucket without requiring manual intervention or per-account scripting.
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.
✗
Use AWS Config rules to detect accounts without CloudTrail and auto-remediate.
Why it's wrong here
This is reactive and may have a delay; also Config rules require existing trails.
✗
Manually enable CloudTrail in each account by logging into every account.
Why it's wrong here
Not scalable for many accounts.
✓
Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail template to all accounts.
Why this is correct
StackSets allow centralized, automated deployment of CloudTrail across accounts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create an SCP that requires CloudTrail to be enabled in each account.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs can only deny or allow actions; they cannot enable services.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the capabilities of SCPs (which only control permissions) with resource enforcement, leading them to incorrectly select Option D, not realizing that SCPs cannot create or enable resources like CloudTrail.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudFormation StackSets extend the capabilities of AWS CloudFormation by allowing you to create, update, or delete stacks across multiple accounts and Regions with a single operation, using self-managed or service-managed permissions. When integrated with AWS Organizations, StackSets can automatically deploy to all accounts in specified organizational units (OUs), ensuring that the CloudTrail trail is created with the correct bucket policy and log file validation enabled. A real-world scenario where this matters is when an organization needs to enforce compliance with regulatory frameworks like PCI DSS or SOC 2, which require centralized logging across all accounts.
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.
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
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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail template to all accounts. — Option C is correct because AWS CloudFormation StackSets allow you to deploy a single CloudTrail template across all member accounts in an AWS Organization from a central management account. This approach is the most efficient as it automates the deployment, ensures consistent configuration, and delivers logs to the specified central S3 bucket without requiring manual intervention or per-account scripting.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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