- A
Migrate the database data to an instance store volume for higher IOPS.
Why wrong: Instance store is ephemeral and data would be lost on instance stop/termination, not suitable for production database.
- B
Increase the provisioned IOPS on the existing EBS data volume to provide more headroom.
This directly addresses the I/O bottleneck by increasing the IOPS limit, reducing queue length.
- C
Add additional EBS volumes to the LVM stripe and redistribute the data.
Why wrong: This can increase IOPS, but it is more complex and may cause downtime. Increasing IOPS on existing volume is simpler.
- D
Upgrade the database instance to a larger EC2 instance type with higher network bandwidth.
Why wrong: CPU and memory are not saturated; network is not a bottleneck. Larger instance may not improve I/O.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to increase the provisioned IOPS on the existing EBS data volume to provide more headroom. This directly resolves the SAP HANA EBS IOPS performance bottleneck, as the CloudWatch metrics show the data volume is consistently hitting 80% of its provisioned IOPS limit with a queue length above 10, indicating that I/O requests are backing up while CPU and memory remain underutilized. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between scaling compute resources versus storage performance; a common trap is assuming you need a larger instance when the bottleneck is clearly I/O, not CPU or memory. Remember that for SAP HANA, EBS volumes with elastic IOPS allow you to increase performance without re-striping or changing instance types. Memory tip: “Queue length over 10? IOPS needs a pen”—meaning you must increase the IOPS limit to clear the write queue.
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 its SAP S/4HANA system on AWS using a cluster of EC2 instances for the application tier and a single large EC2 instance for the HANA database. The database instance uses EBS volumes striped with LVM for data and log. Recently, the operations team noticed that the database performance has degraded significantly during peak hours. CloudWatch metrics show that the average ReadIOPS for the data volume is consistently at 80% of the provisioned IOPS limit, and the average queue length is above 10. The CPU utilization of the database instance is around 60%, and memory usage is 70%. The team has already verified that there are no network bottlenecks and that the SAP application is not misconfigured. Which of the following is the MOST effective action to improve database performance?
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
Increase the provisioned IOPS on the existing EBS data volume to provide more headroom.
The symptoms indicate that the EBS volume is reaching its IOPS limit, causing queuing. Increasing the provisioned IOPS for the data volume will directly address the I/O bottleneck. Option B suggests increasing the instance size, but CPU and memory are not fully utilized, so that may not help. Option C suggests adding more volumes and re-striping, which could increase IOPS but is more complex and may not be needed if the volume supports elastic IOPS. Option D suggests switching to instance store, which provides high IOPS but is ephemeral and not recommended for database persistence. Therefore, increasing IOPS on the existing volume is the simplest and most effective.
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.
- ✗
Migrate the database data to an instance store volume for higher IOPS.
Why it's wrong here
Instance store is ephemeral and data would be lost on instance stop/termination, not suitable for production database.
- ✓
Increase the provisioned IOPS on the existing EBS data volume to provide more headroom.
Why this is correct
This directly addresses the I/O bottleneck by increasing the IOPS limit, reducing queue length.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Add additional EBS volumes to the LVM stripe and redistribute the data.
Why it's wrong here
This can increase IOPS, but it is more complex and may cause downtime. Increasing IOPS on existing volume is simpler.
- ✗
Upgrade the database instance to a larger EC2 instance type with higher network bandwidth.
Why it's wrong here
CPU and memory are not saturated; network is not a bottleneck. Larger instance may not improve I/O.
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 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 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.
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Operations and Maintenance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PAS-C01 question test?
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: Increase the provisioned IOPS on the existing EBS data volume to provide more headroom. — The symptoms indicate that the EBS volume is reaching its IOPS limit, causing queuing. Increasing the provisioned IOPS for the data volume will directly address the I/O bottleneck. Option B suggests increasing the instance size, but CPU and memory are not fully utilized, so that may not help. Option C suggests adding more volumes and re-striping, which could increase IOPS but is more complex and may not be needed if the volume supports elastic IOPS. Option D suggests switching to instance store, which provides high IOPS but is ephemeral and not recommended for database persistence. Therefore, increasing IOPS on the existing volume is the simplest and most effective.
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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways 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. A company runs SAP HANA on an m5.24xlarge EC2 instance. The instance has an EBS-optimized attachment and a high-performance EBS volume for data. The database team reports that write latency to the data volume is consistently above 5 ms during peak hours. Which action would most effectively reduce write latency?
hard- ✓ A.Provision the data volume as an io2 Block Express volume with higher IOPS.
- B.Use an Elastic Fabric Adapter (EFA) for storage traffic.
- C.Change the data volume type to gp3.
- D.Enable EBS optimization on the instance.
Why A: Option D is correct because io2 Block Express volumes offer higher IOPS and lower latency for demanding workloads. Option A is wrong because enabling EBS optimization is already present on m5.24xlarge. Option B is wrong because gp3 is a general-purpose SSD with lower performance than io2. Option C is wrong because Elastic Fabric Adapter is for HPC, not EBS latency.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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