The answer is to enable EBS optimization on the database instance and ensure the instance type supports dedicated EBS bandwidth. This is correct because EBS optimization dedicates a separate network channel specifically for EBS traffic, eliminating contention with data and application network flows. On an r5.24xlarge, which inherently supports dedicated EBS bandwidth, enabling this feature provides consistent, high-throughput access to the gp3 volume, directly reducing the high latency observed in SAP HANA database transactions. For the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how SAP HANA EBS optimization dedicated bandwidth is critical for transactional workloads, especially when application servers reside in different subnets. A common trap is assuming gp3 performance alone solves latency, but without dedicated EBS bandwidth, network jitter from other traffic can still cause delays. Remember the mnemonic: “EBS optimization is the bridge, not the volume size—dedicated lanes keep SAP HANA fast.”
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 S/4HANA on AWS and notices high latency in database transactions. The database is hosted on an r5.24xlarge instance with 768 GB of EBS gp3 storage. The SAP application servers are in the same VPC but different subnets. What should be changed to reduce latency?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable EBS optimization on the database instance and ensure the instance type supports dedicated EBS bandwidth.
Option C is correct because EBS optimization ensures dedicated network bandwidth for EBS traffic, preventing contention with other network traffic. The r5.24xlarge instance supports dedicated EBS bandwidth, and enabling this feature reduces latency for database transactions by providing consistent, high-throughput access to the EBS gp3 volume.
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 a smaller instance type to reduce network hops.
Place the database instance in a cluster placement group with the application servers.
Why it's wrong here
Placement groups affect network latency between instances, not EBS latency.
✓
Enable EBS optimization on the database instance and ensure the instance type supports dedicated EBS bandwidth.
Why this is correct
EBS optimization provides dedicated network for EBS, reducing latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Change the EBS volume type to io2 Block Express with maximum IOPS.
Why it's wrong here
This improves I/O but not necessarily latency from application to database.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume high latency in database transactions is always a network or placement issue, leading them to choose cluster placement groups or instance size changes, when the actual root cause is EBS bandwidth contention that is resolved by enabling EBS optimization.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
EBS optimization uses a dedicated network path for EBS traffic, separate from the data network, which is implemented via a dedicated hardware component on the instance (e.g., the Elastic Network Adapter). On r5.24xlarge instances, the default EBS bandwidth is 10 Gbps, but without EBS optimization, this bandwidth is shared with other network traffic, leading to potential contention and increased latency under load. In real-world SAP workloads, enabling EBS optimization can reduce transaction latency by up to 30% when the database is I/O-bound.
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: Enable EBS optimization on the database instance and ensure the instance type supports dedicated EBS bandwidth. — Option C is correct because EBS optimization ensures dedicated network bandwidth for EBS traffic, preventing contention with other network traffic. The r5.24xlarge instance supports dedicated EBS bandwidth, and enabling this feature reduces latency for database transactions by providing consistent, high-throughput access to the EBS gp3 volume.
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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