The answer is to implement asynchronous HSR and enable HANA log backups to an S3 bucket in us-west-2. This dual-layer strategy is correct because while asynchronous HSR replicates log changes in near real-time, the 60 ms latency and heavy write workload of 500 MB/sec can cause replication to fall behind, risking data loss beyond the 15-minute RPO; the log backups to the DR region’s S3 bucket act as a safety net, capturing any unreplicated log data so recovery can proceed with minimal loss. On the PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that HSR alone may not guarantee RPO under high-latency, high-write conditions, and that combining replication with log shipping to a separate durable store is the recommended approach. A common trap is assuming synchronous replication is needed, but that would break the RTO due to latency. Memory tip: think “HSR for speed, S3 logs for safety” to cover both replication lag and the 15-minute RPO.
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 running a mission-critical SAP S/4HANA system on AWS in the us-east-1 region. The system uses a two-tier architecture with the SAP application server and HANA database on the same EC2 instance. The instance type is an r5.24xlarge with 12 x 2 TB gp3 EBS volumes striped using LVM. The HANA data volume is 10 TB. The company has a disaster recovery (DR) requirement with an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of 4 hours. The DR site must be in us-west-2. The company currently takes daily EBS snapshots of the data volume and copies them to us-west-2. However, they are not meeting the RPO. The operations team is considering implementing SAP HANA System Replication (HSR) asynchronously to the DR region. However, network latency between us-east-1 and us-west-2 averages 60 ms. The SAP HANA database has a heavy write workload, with average log writes of 500 MB/sec. The team is concerned that the replication may fall behind and cause data loss. What should the team do to meet the DR requirements while minimizing data loss?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement HSR asynchronously and also enable HANA log backups to an S3 bucket in us-west-2.
Option A is correct because combining asynchronous HANA System Replication (HSR) with HANA log backups to an S3 bucket in us-west-2 provides a dual-layer protection strategy. Asynchronous HSR will replicate log changes in near real-time, but given the 60 ms latency and 500 MB/sec write workload, it may fall behind; the log backups act as a safety net to capture any log data that hasn't been replicated yet, allowing recovery with minimal data loss while still meeting the 15-minute RPO.
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.
✓
Implement HSR asynchronously and also enable HANA log backups to an S3 bucket in us-west-2.
Why this is correct
Log backups provide an additional recovery point if replication lags.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Switch to synchronous replication to ensure zero data loss.
Why it's wrong here
Synchronous replication over 60 ms latency would severely impact write performance.
✗
Increase the HANA log buffer size to reduce the frequency of log flushes, so that less data is sent over the network.
Why it's wrong here
Log buffer size does not affect network replication speed.
✗
Use HSR with multiple replicas in us-west-2 to improve replication speed.
Why it's wrong here
Multiple replicas do not improve replication speed; they add overhead.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume asynchronous replication alone is sufficient for DR, but they overlook that under high latency and heavy write workloads, the replication lag can exceed the RPO, making a complementary log backup strategy essential to meet the recovery objectives.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
HANA System Replication uses log shipping to transfer redo log entries from the primary to the secondary site; with asynchronous mode, the primary commits transactions without waiting for acknowledgment from the secondary, which can lead to a replication lag that grows under high write loads and high latency. By also enabling HANA log backups to an S3 bucket in the DR region, you create an additional recovery point that can be used to replay log entries that were not yet shipped via HSR, effectively reducing the RPO to the interval between log backups (e.g., every 5 minutes) rather than relying solely on the potentially lagging replication stream.
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 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 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: Implement HSR asynchronously and also enable HANA log backups to an S3 bucket in us-west-2. — Option A is correct because combining asynchronous HANA System Replication (HSR) with HANA log backups to an S3 bucket in us-west-2 provides a dual-layer protection strategy. Asynchronous HSR will replicate log changes in near real-time, but given the 60 ms latency and 500 MB/sec write workload, it may fall behind; the log backups act as a safety net to capture any log data that hasn't been replicated yet, allowing recovery with minimal data loss while still meeting the 15-minute RPO.
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.
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