The answer is to use a dedicated EC2 instance for the HANA database, separate from application servers, and to ensure the instance is EBS-optimized. This is correct because SAP HANA relies on consistent, high-throughput I/O for its data and log volumes; an EBS-optimized instance dedicates network bandwidth exclusively to Amazon EBS, eliminating contention with other traffic and guaranteeing the low-latency, high-IOPS performance that HANA demands. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how to apply SAP HANA best practices on AWS, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly think colocating application and database tiers saves costs or improves performance. A common memory tip is to remember that HANA is an in-memory database that writes everything to disk—so it needs a dedicated, uncontaminated I/O path, just like a surgeon needs a sterile operating room.
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.
Which TWO of the following are best practices for running SAP HANA on AWS? (Choose TWO.)
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use EBS-optimized instances or instances with dedicated EBS bandwidth.
Option B is correct because SAP HANA requires consistent, high-throughput I/O for its data and log volumes. EBS-optimized instances provide dedicated network bandwidth to Amazon EBS, eliminating contention with other traffic and ensuring the low-latency, high-IOPS performance that HANA demands. Without this dedicated bandwidth, EBS performance can degrade under load, risking database stability.
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 burstable instance type (e.g., t3) for non-production HANA systems.
Why it's wrong here
Burstable instances are not recommended for any HANA workload.
✓
Use EBS-optimized instances or instances with dedicated EBS bandwidth.
Why this is correct
EBS optimization provides consistent performance for storage.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use a dedicated EC2 instance for the HANA database, separate from application servers.
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure a large swap space on the HANA instance to handle memory pressure.
Why it's wrong here
HANA should avoid swap; it relies on in-memory processing.
✗
Mount the HANA data volume using Amazon EFS for high throughput.
Why it's wrong here
HANA requires block storage (EBS), not file storage (EFS).
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse general best practices (like using swap for memory pressure) with SAP HANA's specific requirements, where swap is harmful, or they assume that any storage service (like EFS) can substitute for block storage, ignoring HANA's need for low-latency, direct-attached block devices.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
EBS-optimized instances use a dedicated network path for EBS traffic, separate from the main data network, which is critical for SAP HANA because its savepoint and log write operations are I/O-bound and sensitive to jitter. Under the hood, EBS-optimized instances have a dedicated queue (e.g., for Nitro-based instances, EBS traffic is handled by the Nitro controller with its own bandwidth allocation), ensuring that HANA's I/O does not compete with application traffic. In a real-world scenario, a production HANA system on a non-EBS-optimized instance can experience log write timeouts during peak load, leading to database crashes, whereas an EBS-optimized instance maintains consistent sub-millisecond latency.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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: Use EBS-optimized instances or instances with dedicated EBS bandwidth. — Option B is correct because SAP HANA requires consistent, high-throughput I/O for its data and log volumes. EBS-optimized instances provide dedicated network bandwidth to Amazon EBS, eliminating contention with other traffic and ensuring the low-latency, high-IOPS performance that HANA demands. Without this dedicated bandwidth, EBS performance can degrade under load, risking database stability.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO of the following are recommended best practices for deploying SAP HANA on AWS? (Choose two.)
easy
A.Deploy HANA in a single Availability Zone to reduce costs.
B.Disable hyper-threading on the HANA instance.
C.Store HANA data on instance store volumes for better performance.
✓ D.Use EBS-optimized instances for HANA workloads.
✓ E.Use EBS snapshots for backup of HANA data volumes.
Why D: Options A and C are correct. A is correct because using EBS-optimized instances ensures dedicated network bandwidth for EBS. C is correct because EBS snapshots provide point-in-time backups. B is incorrect because instance store is ephemeral. D is incorrect because a single AZ does not provide high availability. E is incorrect because disabling multi-threading is not a best practice.
Variation 2. Which TWO of the following are recommended best practices for running SAP HANA on AWS? (Choose two.)
medium
A.Install HANA on a separate EBS volume mounted under /hana/data
B.Configure swap space on the instance to handle memory pressure
✓ C.Enable multi-attach on EBS volumes for HANA shared storage in scale-out
✓ D.Use EBS io2 Block Express volumes for HANA data and log
E.Change the hostname after the HANA installation to match the DNS name
Why C: Option C is correct because SAP HANA scale-out configurations require shared storage for /hana/shared, and EBS multi-attach allows multiple EC2 instances to concurrently access the same EBS volume, which is necessary for the shared file system. Option D is correct because EBS io2 Block Express volumes provide the high IOPS, low latency, and consistent performance required for SAP HANA data and log volumes, meeting SAP's storage performance recommendations.
Variation 3. Which TWO of the following are best practices for running SAP HANA on AWS? (Choose 2)
easy
A.Stop HANA instances when not in use to save costs
B.Use general-purpose instances (e.g., t3) to reduce costs
✓ C.Use separate EBS volumes for HANA data and log files
✓ D.Use EBS-optimized instances for dedicated EBS bandwidth
E.Launch all HANA instances in a single placement group
Why C: Options A and D are correct. A: EBS-optimized instances ensure dedicated network bandwidth for EBS. D: Separate EBS volumes for log and data help avoid I/O contention. B is wrong because placement groups reduce network latency but may limit instance diversity. C is wrong because memory-optimized instances are recommended for HANA. E is wrong because stopping instances loses memory data; HANA requires persistent storage.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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