The answer is to move the backup window to an earlier time when the system is less active. This resolves the CPU spike from SAP HANA backups because the backup process competes for CPU resources with the SAP application workload; rescheduling the backup to a non-peak period eliminates the contention without requiring additional infrastructure. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of operational efficiency and cost optimization—the trap is to immediately scale up the instance, but the exam emphasizes addressing root causes before adding resources. A common memory tip is “schedule before scale”: always adjust the backup window timing first, as CPU spikes from backups are a scheduling problem, not a sizing problem.
PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. 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 runs an SAP HANA database on an r5.8xlarge EC2 instance. The operations team notices that the instance's CPU utilization spikes to 100% every night at 2 AM, causing SAP application timeouts. CloudWatch metrics show the spike corresponds to a backup process. Which action should be taken to resolve the issue?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Move the backup window to an earlier time when the system is less active.
Option A is correct because adjusting the backup schedule to a non-peak time reduces CPU contention. Option B is wrong because increasing instance size might help but is not the most direct solution. Option C is wrong because it does not address the root cause. Option D is wrong because disabling the backup is not appropriate.
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.
✓
Move the backup window to an earlier time when the system is less active.
Why this is correct
Rescheduling backups to off-peak hours reduces CPU contention during the spike.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the instance size to handle the backup load.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling up might mitigate symptoms but does not address root cause and increases cost.
✗
Disable the nightly backup.
Why it's wrong here
Backups are essential for data protection; disabling them is not a valid solution.
✗
Implement CloudWatch alarm to restart the instance when CPU is high.
Why it's wrong here
Restarting causes downtime and does not prevent the spike.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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.
Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Move the backup window to an earlier time when the system is less active. — Option A is correct because adjusting the backup schedule to a non-peak time reduces CPU contention. Option B is wrong because increasing instance size might help but is not the most direct solution. Option C is wrong because it does not address the root cause. Option D is wrong because disabling the backup is not appropriate.
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.
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Question Discussion
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