Quick Answer
The answer is the X1e instance family. This is correct because X1e instances are purpose-built for SAP HANA workloads, offering up to 3.9 TB of memory and high memory bandwidth per vCPU, which directly addresses the need for large in-memory databases and CPU-intensive processing. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of instance specialization—X1e is the only family explicitly optimized for both high memory and compute demands, unlike general-purpose or memory-optimized families like R5, which lack the same memory-to-CPU ratio. A common trap is choosing R5 instances, but remember: SAP HANA requires not just memory, but high memory bandwidth per vCPU for parallel processing. For the exam, think “X1e = eXtreme memory for Enterprise SAP.”
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 is migrating its SAP HANA database to AWS and needs to choose the most appropriate EC2 instance type. The workload requires high memory bandwidth and is CPU-intensive. Which instance family would best meet these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
M5 instance family
Why wrong: M5 is general-purpose and may not provide sufficient memory bandwidth for HANA.
I3 instance family
Why wrong: I3 is storage-optimized for high disk I/O, not for memory bandwidth.
C5 instance family
Why wrong: C5 is compute-optimized, not designed for high memory bandwidth in SAP HANA.
X1e instance family
X1e instances are memory-optimized with high memory bandwidth, ideal for SAP HANA 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
X1e instance family
The X1e instance family is purpose-built for high-memory, CPU-intensive SAP HANA workloads, offering up to 3.9 TB of memory and high memory bandwidth per vCPU. This aligns with SAP HANA's requirement for large in-memory databases and compute-intensive processing, making D the correct choice.
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.
M5 instance family
Why it's wrong here
M5 is general-purpose and may not provide sufficient memory bandwidth for HANA.
I3 instance family
Why it's wrong here
I3 is storage-optimized for high disk I/O, not for memory bandwidth.
C5 instance family
Why it's wrong here
C5 is compute-optimized, not designed for high memory bandwidth in SAP HANA.
X1e instance family
Why this is correct
X1e instances are memory-optimized with high memory bandwidth, ideal for SAP HANA workloads.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse compute-optimized (C5) or storage-optimized (I3) families with SAP HANA requirements, overlooking that SAP HANA's in-memory nature demands memory-optimized instances like X1e with high memory bandwidth and capacity, not just raw CPU or I/O performance.
Detailed technical explanation
SAP HANA relies on columnar in-memory data storage, requiring both high memory capacity and high memory bandwidth to minimize latency during data processing. The X1e instances use Intel Xeon E7-8880 v4 processors with up to 3.9 TB of DDR4 memory and a high memory-to-vCPU ratio (e.g., 1:8 for x1e.32xlarge), ensuring that CPU-intensive analytical queries can access data without memory bottlenecks. In real-world deployments, choosing an instance with insufficient memory bandwidth can lead to CPU stalls and degraded query performance, especially under concurrent loads.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
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 — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All PAS-C01 questions
1,733 questions across all exam domains
AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
PAS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Design of SAP Workloads on AWS.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Technology.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Migration.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Operations and Maintenance.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 fundamentals.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 scenario.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: X1e instance family — The X1e instance family is purpose-built for high-memory, CPU-intensive SAP HANA workloads, offering up to 3.9 TB of memory and high memory bandwidth per vCPU. This aligns with SAP HANA's requirement for large in-memory databases and compute-intensive processing, making D the correct choice.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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 →
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.