PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Exhibit
HANA_LOG: 2023-10-05 14:30:00.123456+00:00 - ERROR - Backup (sys) failed: [447] backup could not be completed: [11078] backup could not be completed because of internal error: [100] Cannot access /backup/hana/COMPLETE_DATA_BACKUP_0.dat: Permission denied
Refer to the exhibit. An SAP HANA database backup fails with the error shown. The backup target is an EFS file system mounted at /backup. The EC2 instance has the appropriate IAM role to access EFS. What is the MOST likely cause of this error?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
HANA_LOG: 2023-10-05 14:30:00.123456+00:00 - ERROR - Backup (sys) failed: [447] backup could not be completed: [11078] backup could not be completed because of internal error: [100] Cannot access /backup/hana/COMPLETE_DATA_BACKUP_0.dat: Permission denied
A
The IAM role attached to the EC2 instance does not have permissions to write to EFS.
Why wrong: If the IAM role lacked permissions, the error would be different (e.g., AccessDenied from AWS side). The error is at the file system level.
B
The SAP HANA database user does not have write permissions on the backup directory.
The error clearly states 'Permission denied', indicating a file permission issue.
C
The EFS file system has insufficient IOPS for the backup operation.
Why wrong: EFS does not have IOPS limits; it provides throughput based on file system size.
D
The EFS file system is out of storage capacity.
Why wrong: The error message is 'Permission denied', not 'No space left on device'.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The SAP HANA database user does not have write permissions on the backup directory.
Option B is correct because the error 'Permission denied' indicates that the SAP HANA user (e.g., <sid>adm) does not have write permissions to the backup directory on the EFS file system. Option A is wrong because the error is not about disk space. Option C is wrong because EFS does not have IOPS limits like EBS. Option D is wrong because the IAM role is for accessing EFS, but file permissions are separate.
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.
✗
The IAM role attached to the EC2 instance does not have permissions to write to EFS.
Why it's wrong here
If the IAM role lacked permissions, the error would be different (e.g., AccessDenied from AWS side). The error is at the file system level.
✓
The SAP HANA database user does not have write permissions on the backup directory.
Why this is correct
The error clearly states 'Permission denied', indicating a file permission issue.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The EFS file system has insufficient IOPS for the backup operation.
Why it's wrong here
EFS does not have IOPS limits; it provides throughput based on file system size.
✗
The EFS file system is out of storage capacity.
Why it's wrong here
The error message is 'Permission denied', not 'No space left on device'.
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.
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 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 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.
Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The SAP HANA database user does not have write permissions on the backup directory. — Option B is correct because the error 'Permission denied' indicates that the SAP HANA user (e.g., <sid>adm) does not have write permissions to the backup directory on the EFS file system. Option A is wrong because the error is not about disk space. Option C is wrong because EFS does not have IOPS limits like EBS. Option D is wrong because the IAM role is for accessing EFS, but file permissions are separate.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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