The answer is to use an AWS Snowball Edge device for the large data transfer to S3 offline. This is correct because at 100 Mbps, transferring 50 TB over the internet would take roughly 48.5 days, far exceeding the 30-day window, while Snowball Edge physically ships the data, bypassing bandwidth constraints entirely. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to choose the most cost-effective offline migration method when network speed is the bottleneck—a common trap is to overcomplicate with Direct Connect or S3 Transfer Acceleration, but both still rely on your limited pipe. Remember that Snowball Edge is ideal for petabyte-scale or multi-terabyte migrations where time is tight and bandwidth is low. A quick memory tip: when bandwidth is the brake, ship the data—Snowball takes the highway.
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 is planning to migrate 50 TB of data from an on-premises data center to Amazon S3. The on-premises network bandwidth is 100 Mbps. The migration must be completed within 30 days. What is the most cost-effective solution?
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 device.
At 100 Mbps, transferring 50 TB over the internet would take approximately 50 days (50*8*1024*1024 / (100*86400) ≈ 48.5 days), exceeding the 30-day window. AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device that can transfer data offline faster and is cost-effective for large data volumes. AWS DMS is for databases; Direct Connect requires setup time; S3 Transfer Acceleration improves speed but still limited by 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.
✗
Use AWS Direct Connect to increase bandwidth.
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect can take weeks to provision and adds monthly costs, not the most cost-effective for a one-time migration.
✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge device.
Why this is correct
Snowball Edge can transfer 50 TB in a few days, meeting the deadline cost-effectively.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS DataSync over the internet.
Why it's wrong here
DataSync would still be limited by the 100 Mbps bandwidth, taking too long.
✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS).
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for database migration, not file data.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: Use AWS Snowball Edge device. — At 100 Mbps, transferring 50 TB over the internet would take approximately 50 days (50*8*1024*1024 / (100*86400) ≈ 48.5 days), exceeding the 30-day window. AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device that can transfer data offline faster and is cost-effective for large data volumes. AWS DMS is for databases; Direct Connect requires setup time; S3 Transfer Acceleration improves speed but still limited by 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 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?
easy
✓ A.Use AWS Snowball Edge to physically ship the data to AWS.
B.Use S3 Transfer Acceleration to upload data over the existing internet connection.
C.Use AWS DataSync to transfer data over the dedicated network.
D.Establish an AWS Direct Connect connection and use S3 multipart upload.
Why A: Option D is correct because AWS Snowball Edge provides physical storage for large data transfers, avoiding long transfer times over a 1 Gbps link. Option A is wrong because S3 Transfer Acceleration improves speed but still uses the network. Option B is wrong because AWS DataSync is designed for smaller, ongoing transfers. Option C is wrong because Direct Connect alone does not transfer data; you still need to copy over the connection.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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.
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