This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of design of sap workloads on aws. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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.
An SAP system on AWS is experiencing high latency in database transactions. The SAP HANA database is running on an r5.24xlarge instance with GP3 EBS volumes. CloudWatch metrics show high Write IOPS but low Read IOPS. The application team expects high write throughput. What should be changed to improve write performance?
Increase the EBS read throughput
Why wrong: Read throughput is not the issue.
Use a larger instance type like r6i.32xlarge
Why wrong: Instance size does not fix EBS performance limits.
Increase the GP3 volume IOPS
Why wrong: GP3 can be increased but io2 is more suitable for HANA.
Switch to io2 Block Express volumes with higher IOPS
io2 provides consistent high IOPS for write-heavy workloads.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Switch to io2 Block Express volumes with higher IOPS
The correct answer is D because the workload requires high write throughput, and GP3 volumes have a baseline IOPS of 16,000 with a maximum of 16,000 IOPS at no additional cost, but burst credits are limited. io2 Block Express volumes offer up to 256,000 IOPS with consistent sub-millisecond latency, which directly addresses the high write IOPS demand without throttling. This aligns with SAP HANA's requirement for predictable, high-performance storage for database transactions.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Increase the EBS read throughput
Why it's wrong here
Read throughput is not the issue.
Use a larger instance type like r6i.32xlarge
Why it's wrong here
Instance size does not fix EBS performance limits.
Increase the GP3 volume IOPS
Why it's wrong here
GP3 can be increased but io2 is more suitable for HANA.
Switch to io2 Block Express volumes with higher IOPS
Why this is correct
io2 provides consistent high IOPS for write-heavy workloads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates assume increasing GP3 IOPS (Option C) is sufficient, but they overlook that GP3's maximum IOPS (16,000) and throughput limits may still be inadequate for sustained high write throughput, whereas io2 Block Express is the only option that guarantees both high IOPS and low latency for SAP HANA workloads.
Detailed technical explanation
io2 Block Express volumes use a block-level storage architecture with provisioned IOPS up to 256,000 and throughput up to 4,000 MiB/s, designed for latency-sensitive workloads like SAP HANA. Unlike GP3, which relies on burst credits and has a baseline IOPS of 3,000 (scalable to 16,000), io2 Block Express provides consistent performance without bursting, critical for database transaction logs and data writes. In real-world SAP HANA deployments, high write IOPS often result from redo log writes, and io2 Block Express ensures these writes do not queue, preventing transaction latency.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — This question tests Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Switch to io2 Block Express volumes with higher IOPS — The correct answer is D because the workload requires high write throughput, and GP3 volumes have a baseline IOPS of 16,000 with a maximum of 16,000 IOPS at no additional cost, but burst credits are limited. io2 Block Express volumes offer up to 256,000 IOPS with consistent sub-millisecond latency, which directly addresses the high write IOPS demand without throttling. This aligns with SAP HANA's requirement for predictable, high-performance storage for database transactions.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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