This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of migration. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 an SAP HANA database to AWS using AWS DMS. An IAM policy has been created for the DMS service role as shown in the exhibit. The migration fails with an error that the DMS task cannot access the source database. Which additional permission is most likely required?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
dms:DescribeEndpoints and dms:CreateEndpoint
The policy allows DMS actions and S3 bucket access, but does not include permissions for source database endpoints (e.g., RDS or EC2). DMS needs permissions to describe and connect to the source. kms:Decrypt is not relevant unless encryption is used. ec2:DescribeSubnets is for network settings.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
dms:DescribeEndpoints and dms:CreateEndpoint
Why this is correct
DMS needs permissions to manage endpoints.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
If source is RDS, but the policy does not include it; however, the error is about accessing source, not describing.
✗
ec2:DescribeSubnets
Why it's wrong here
Replication instance network settings, but not source access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
→Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
→Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
→Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
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.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PAS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Migration — This question tests Migration — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: dms:DescribeEndpoints and dms:CreateEndpoint — The policy allows DMS actions and S3 bucket access, but does not include permissions for source database endpoints (e.g., RDS or EC2). DMS needs permissions to describe and connect to the source. kms:Decrypt is not relevant unless encryption is used. ec2:DescribeSubnets is for network settings.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PAS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Question Discussion
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