- A
Configure Amazon CloudWatch agent to send inventory data.
Why wrong: CloudWatch agent does not send inventory data.
- B
Set up an AWS Config aggregator in the management account.
Why wrong: Config aggregator is for configuration items, not inventory.
- C
Enable AWS Systems Manager Inventory in each account.
Inventory collects instance information.
- D
Create an IAM role in each member account that trusts the central account.
Cross-account role allows central account to run inventory.
- E
Enable AWS Systems Manager in each account.
SSM agent must be running on instances.
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 with 50 accounts. They need to manage EC2 instance inventory across all accounts. Which THREE steps are necessary to achieve this?
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
Enable AWS Systems Manager Inventory in each account.
Option C is correct because AWS Systems Manager Inventory provides a native, agentless mechanism to collect and query EC2 instance metadata, software inventory, and configuration across accounts. Enabling Systems Manager in each account is a prerequisite for using Inventory, as it relies on the SSM Agent and the Systems Manager service to gather and store inventory data in a centralized manner.
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.
- ✗
Configure Amazon CloudWatch agent to send inventory data.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch agent does not send inventory data.
- ✗
Set up an AWS Config aggregator in the management account.
Why it's wrong here
Config aggregator is for configuration items, not inventory.
- ✓
Enable AWS Systems Manager Inventory in each account.
Why this is correct
Inventory collects instance information.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Create an IAM role in each member account that trusts the central account.
Why this is correct
Cross-account role allows central account to run inventory.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Enable AWS Systems Manager in each account.
Why this is correct
SSM agent must be running on instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config aggregators (which aggregate compliance data) with Systems Manager Inventory (which aggregates EC2 inventory data), leading them to incorrectly select Option B as a necessary step.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Systems Manager Inventory uses the SSM Agent (pre-installed on most Amazon-provided AMIs) to collect inventory metadata such as installed applications, OS patches, network configurations, and file details. The inventory data is stored in a Systems Manager-managed Amazon DynamoDB table per account, and can be queried via the AWS CLI, SDK, or console using the `GetInventory` API. For cross-account aggregation, you must enable Systems Manager in each account and use a central account with appropriate IAM roles to assume into member 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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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 — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SAP-C02 questions
1,746 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SAP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SAP-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.
Design for New Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Start a free SAP-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
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: Enable AWS Systems Manager Inventory in each account. — Option C is correct because AWS Systems Manager Inventory provides a native, agentless mechanism to collect and query EC2 instance metadata, software inventory, and configuration across accounts. Enabling Systems Manager in each account is a prerequisite for using Inventory, as it relies on the SSM Agent and the Systems Manager service to gather and store inventory data in a centralized manner.
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.
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 →
Keep practising
More SAP-C02 practice questions
- A company wants to automate the migration of on-premises servers to AWS. The migration plan includes discovery, assessme…
- A company is using AWS Organizations with hundreds of accounts. The central IT team needs to deploy a common set of AWS…
- A multinational company operates a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team needs to enf…
- A company has a multi-account AWS environment with a centralized logging account. The security team needs to analyze VPC…
- A company has multiple AWS accounts and wants to centralize logging of all API calls. Which TWO services should be used…
- Match each AWS compute service to its use case.
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.