PAS-C01 Design of SAP Workloads on AWS Practice Question
A company runs its SAP HANA database on an EC2 instance with Amazon EBS volumes. The system is experiencing high write latency. The current EBS volume type is gp2. Which change should a solutions architect recommend to improve write performance for the SAP HANA data volume?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose gp3 (Option C) thinking increased IOPS alone solves latency, but they overlook that SAP HANA requires the specific io2 Block Express volume type for guaranteed low latency and durability, as gp3's performance can degrade under sustained high write loads due to its shared architecture.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use an io2 Block Express volume with sufficient IOPS.
SAP HANA requires consistently low-latency, high-IOPS storage for its data volume. The io2 Block Express volume is the only EBS volume type that can deliver up to 256,000 IOPS per volume with sub-millisecond latency, meeting SAP HANA's demanding performance requirements. In contrast, gp2 volumes have burst limitations and cannot sustain the high write throughput needed for SAP HANA workloads.
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 an io2 Block Express volume with sufficient IOPS.
Why this is correct
io2 Block Express provides high IOPS and low latency suitable for SAP HANA.
- ✗
Migrate the data to an instance store volume.
Why it's wrong here
Instance store is ephemeral and data is lost on stop/termination.
- ✗
Change the volume type to gp3 with increased IOPS.
Why it's wrong here
gp3 is cost-effective but io2 Block Express is better for HANA's latency requirements.
- ✗
Use a Throughput Optimized HDD (st1) volume.
Why it's wrong here
st1 is for throughput-intensive workloads, not low-latency transactional writes.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PAS-C01
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. Which TWO statements are true regarding Amazon EBS volume types for SAP HANA data volumes?
medium- A.io1 volumes are the recommended choice for SAP HANA
- ✓ B.io2 Block Express volumes provide up to 256,000 IOPS
- ✓ C.gp3 volumes can be provisioned with up to 16,000 IOPS
- D.st1 volumes are suitable for SAP HANA log volumes
- E.sc1 volumes are cost-effective for SAP HANA data volumes
Why B: Io2 Block Express volumes are designed for SAP HANA data volumes, offering up to 256,000 IOPS and 4,000 MB/s throughput per volume, which meets the high-performance requirements for SAP HANA. Option C is correct because gp3 volumes can be provisioned with up to 16,000 IOPS and 1,000 MB/s throughput, making them a cost-effective alternative for smaller SAP HANA workloads or non-production environments.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.