The answer is to increase the provisioned IOPS to 10,000. This directly addresses the high EBS queue depth for SAP HANA by doubling the available IOPS from 5,000 to 10,000, which reduces the backlog of write requests waiting to be processed, thereby lowering latency. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the relationship between queue depth, IOPS, and latency for write-intensive SAP HANA workloads on io1 volumes. A common trap is to consider changing volume types or instance sizes, but increasing IOPS is the most cost-effective fix because it targets the bottleneck without incurring the higher cost of a larger instance or sacrificing the consistent low latency that io1 provides for SAP HANA. Remember the memory tip: “Queue depth high? IOPS must fly.”
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. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 EC2 with EBS io1 volumes. The administrator notices that the disk queue depth is consistently high during peak hours, causing increased latency. The volume is 2 TB with 5000 provisioned IOPS. The instance is an r5.4xlarge with EBS bandwidth of 4750 Mbps. The database workload is write-intensive. The administrator wants to reduce latency without increasing costs significantly. Which action should the administrator take?
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 to 10,000
Option A is correct because increasing IOPS to 10,000 will double the IOPS, reducing queue depth. Option B is wrong because changing to gp3 may not provide the same performance. Option C is wrong because instance size increases cost. Option D is wrong because enabling Multi-Attach does not address queue depth.
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.
✓
Increase the provisioned IOPS to 10,000
Why this is correct
Higher IOPS reduces queue depth and latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable EBS Multi-Attach and use multiple instances to share the volume
Why it's wrong here
Multi-Attach does not reduce queue depth for a single instance.
✗
Change the volume type to gp3 with 5000 IOPS
Why it's wrong here
gp3 may have similar performance but does not guarantee improvement; also, gp3 baseline is 3000 IOPS, so 5000 IOPS would cost extra.
✗
Upgrade the EC2 instance to an r5.8xlarge
Why it's wrong here
Increases cost and EBS bandwidth may not be the bottleneck.
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.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
gp3 may have similar performance but does not guarantee improvement; also, gp3 baseline is 3000 IOPS, so 5000 IOPS would cost extra.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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.
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: Increase the provisioned IOPS to 10,000 — Option A is correct because increasing IOPS to 10,000 will double the IOPS, reducing queue depth. Option B is wrong because changing to gp3 may not provide the same performance. Option C is wrong because instance size increases cost. Option D is wrong because enabling Multi-Attach does not address queue depth.
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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