The answer is SAP HANA system replication with an active standby instance in another Availability Zone. This architecture meets the required RPO of 15 minutes and RTO of 1 hour because synchronous replication ensures zero data loss during failover, while the standby instance in a separate AZ provides automatic failover within minutes if the primary fails. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding that SAP HANA high availability active standby across AZs is the only native SAP solution that satisfies strict recovery objectives—common traps include confusing Multi-AZ RDS (which does not support HANA) or assuming a single instance suffices. Remember the key distinction: for SAP HANA, you must use HANA system replication, not AWS-managed database services. A useful memory tip is “HANA HA = HSR across AZs,” linking the acronym HSR directly to the cross-AZ requirement for exam scenarios.
PAS-C01 Migration Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of migration. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 migrating a critical SAP ERP system to AWS. The migration plan includes using SAP HANA as the database. The system is used by thousands of users and requires high availability with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 15 minutes and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 1 hour. Which architecture should they implement on AWS?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use SAP HANA system replication with an active standby instance in another Availability Zone
SAP HANA system replication in an active standby setup across Availability Zones provides automatic failover and meets the RPO and RTO requirements. Option B is correct. Option A (single instance) has no HA. Option C (Multi-AZ RDS) is not applicable for SAP HANA (RDS does not support HANA). Option D (DMS) is for migration, not HA.
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 SAP HANA system replication with an active standby instance in another Availability Zone
Why this is correct
System replication provides automatic failover and low RPO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Deploy a single EC2 instance with SAP HANA and take nightly snapshots
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots do not provide automatic failover or meet RPO/RTO.
✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for continuous replication
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for migration, not for HA setup.
✗
Use Amazon RDS for SAP HANA with Multi-AZ deployment
Why it's wrong here
Amazon RDS does not support SAP HANA as a database engine.
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 PAS-C01 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.
Migration — This question tests Migration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use SAP HANA system replication with an active standby instance in another Availability Zone — SAP HANA system replication in an active standby setup across Availability Zones provides automatic failover and meets the RPO and RTO requirements. Option B is correct. Option A (single instance) has no HA. Option C (Multi-AZ RDS) is not applicable for SAP HANA (RDS does not support HANA). Option D (DMS) is for migration, not HA.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which PAS-C01 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 →
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.
This PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 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.