The answer is three valid options for SAP HANA encryption at rest on AWS: enabling Amazon EBS encryption on all volumes attached to the HANA instance, using AWS KMS with a custom key store backed by CloudHSM, and leveraging SAP HANA native encryption with its own key management. These options are correct because they address the core requirement of protecting data at the storage layer while offering flexibility in key control—EBS encryption provides transparent volume-level encryption, KMS with a custom key store gives you hardware-backed key isolation, and SAP HANA native encryption encrypts data within the database itself before it reaches the disk. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of encryption boundaries and integration points, often appearing as a multi-select item where a common trap is confusing AWS-managed KMS keys with customer-managed key stores. Remember the memory tip: “EBS, KMS, HANA—three layers, one goal.”
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 runs SAP HANA on AWS and wants to encrypt the database at rest. Which THREE options are available to achieve this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS KMS with a custom key store to manage encryption keys.
AWS KMS with a custom key store (option B) is a valid encryption option for SAP HANA on AWS because it allows you to use a customer-managed key store backed by AWS CloudHSM, giving you control over the encryption keys used to protect data at rest. This integrates with Amazon EBS encryption and other AWS services to encrypt the underlying storage volumes, ensuring compliance with key management requirements.
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.
✗
Use Amazon RDS encryption for the SAP HANA database.
Why it's wrong here
SAP HANA is not an RDS database.
✓
Use AWS KMS with a custom key store to manage encryption keys.
Why this is correct
KMS can manage keys for EBS and HANA encryption.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Enable SAP HANA native encryption for the database.
Why this is correct
SAP HANA provides its own encryption.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Amazon S3 server-side encryption for database files.
Why it's wrong here
S3 is not used for HANA persistent storage.
✓
Enable Amazon EBS encryption on all volumes attached to the HANA instance.
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 may confuse Amazon RDS encryption with EC2-based database encryption, not realizing that SAP HANA is self-managed on EC2 and does not use the RDS service, making option A technically inapplicable.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SAP HANA on AWS typically uses EBS volumes for data and log storage, and enabling EBS encryption (option E) uses AWS KMS keys to encrypt the volume at the block level transparently. SAP HANA native encryption (option C) operates at the database layer, encrypting data pages and log entries before they are written to disk, which provides an additional layer of encryption independent of the underlying storage. In a real-world scenario, customers often combine EBS encryption with SAP HANA native encryption to meet dual-layer encryption requirements or to separate key management responsibilities.
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: Use AWS KMS with a custom key store to manage encryption keys. — AWS KMS with a custom key store (option B) is a valid encryption option for SAP HANA on AWS because it allows you to use a customer-managed key store backed by AWS CloudHSM, giving you control over the encryption keys used to protect data at rest. This integrates with Amazon EBS encryption and other AWS services to encrypt the underlying storage volumes, ensuring compliance with key management requirements.
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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Question Discussion
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