The answer is a Cluster Placement Group. This AWS networking feature is the correct choice because it places all EC2 instances within a single Availability Zone in close physical proximity, ensuring the low latency and high network throughput required for SAP HANA workloads between application and database servers. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how to optimize tightly coupled, latency-sensitive architectures—a common scenario for SAP HANA migrations. A frequent trap is selecting a Spread Placement Group, which isolates instances across hardware for high availability but sacrifices the low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity that a Cluster Placement Group provides. Remember the mnemonic: “Cluster for Closeness, Spread for Separation.”
PAS-C01 Design of SAP Workloads on AWS Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of design of sap workloads on aws. 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 its SAP HANA workload to AWS. The system requires high network throughput and low latency between application and database servers. Which AWS networking feature should be used to meet these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Place the instances in a Cluster Placement Group.
A Cluster Placement Group (CPG) is a logical grouping of instances within a single Availability Zone that provides low-latency, high-throughput network connectivity by placing them in close physical proximity. For SAP HANA workloads requiring consistent high network throughput and low latency between application and database servers, a CPG ensures that all instances are co-located, minimizing network hops and jitter. This is the correct choice because it directly addresses the need for low-latency, high-bandwidth communication between tightly coupled components.
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.
✗
Create a VPC Peering connection between the application and database subnets.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Peering is for connectivity between VPCs, not within the same VPC.
✗
Use Elastic Fabric Adapter (EFA) for network connectivity.
Why it's wrong here
EFA is for HPC workloads, not typically for SAP.
✗
Use Enhanced Networking on all instances.
Why it's wrong here
Enhanced Networking improves performance but does not guarantee low latency across instances.
✓
Place the instances in a Cluster Placement Group.
Why this is correct
Cluster Placement Groups provide low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity between 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 Enhanced Networking (which improves individual instance performance) with the co-location benefits of a Cluster Placement Group, failing to recognize that low latency between instances requires physical proximity, not just faster virtualized networking.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, a Cluster Placement Group uses a logical grouping that maps to a specific rack or set of racks within an AWS data center, ensuring that all instances in the group are within a 10 Gbps or 25 Gbps non-blocking network path with single-digit microsecond latency. This is critical for SAP HANA because the database and application servers communicate synchronously over high-speed connections, and any additional network hop or cross-rack latency can degrade transaction performance. In real-world scenarios, combining a CPG with Enhanced Networking and EBS-optimized instances yields the best results for SAP HANA workloads.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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 of SAP Workloads on AWS — This question tests Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Place the instances in a Cluster Placement Group. — A Cluster Placement Group (CPG) is a logical grouping of instances within a single Availability Zone that provides low-latency, high-throughput network connectivity by placing them in close physical proximity. For SAP HANA workloads requiring consistent high network throughput and low latency between application and database servers, a CPG ensures that all instances are co-located, minimizing network hops and jitter. This is the correct choice because it directly addresses the need for low-latency, high-bandwidth communication between tightly coupled components.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 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 →
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 is planning to run SAP HANA on AWS and needs to ensure that the instance is optimally placed for low latency between the application and database tiers. Which AWS feature should be used?
easy
A.Application Load Balancer
B.VPC endpoint
✓ C.Cluster placement group
D.Auto Scaling group
Why C: Option C is correct because a cluster placement group is designed for low-latency, high-throughput communication between instances. Option A is wrong because an Auto Scaling group is for scaling, not placement. Option B is wrong because an ALB is for load balancing. Option D is wrong because a VPC endpoint does not affect instance placement.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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.