The answer is HANA System Replication in asynchronous mode, as it is the most cost-effective solution meeting the 15-minute RPO and 4-hour RTO for a 2 TB SAP HANA database between us-east-1 and us-west-2. Asynchronous replication works by sending log writes to the DR site without waiting for acknowledgment, which avoids the performance degradation caused by the high latency of a transcontinental link, while still achieving sub-15-minute RPO. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how HANA System Replication (HSR) modes interact with geographic distance and network latency—a common trap is choosing synchronous mode, which would introduce unacceptable lag over 3,000 miles. Remember that sync mode is for low-latency, same-region setups, while async is the go-to for cross-region disaster recovery on AWS. Memory tip: “Async across the map, sync in the same lap.”
PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. 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.
A company is designing a disaster recovery (DR) strategy for SAP on AWS. The primary region is us-east-1 and the DR region is us-west-2. The SAP HANA database is 2 TB. The recovery point objective (RPO) is 15 minutes and the recovery time objective (RTO) is 4 hours. Which solution meets these requirements most cost-effectively?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
HANA System Replication in asynchronous mode
HANA system replication in sync mode over a reasonable distance (us-east-1 to us-west-2) can achieve sub-15 minute RPO. However, latency may cause performance impact. Async mode is typically used for long distance. Option A (HANA System Replication in async mode) meets RPO and RTO cost-effectively. Option B (sync mode) may not be feasible due to latency. Option C (EBS snapshots) has higher RPO. Option D (RTO too high).
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.
✗
HANA System Replication in synchronous mode
Why it's wrong here
Synchronous mode over long distance causes high latency and performance issues.
✗
Log shipping to an S3 bucket in DR region
Why it's wrong here
Log shipping may not provide automatic failover and RTO may exceed 4 hours.
✓
HANA System Replication in asynchronous mode
Why this is correct
Async replication over long distance meets RPO of 15 minutes and RTO of 4 hours.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
EBS snapshot replication to DR region using AWS Backup
Why it's wrong here
EBS snapshots are periodic; RPO likely >15 minutes.
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 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
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.
Technology — This question tests Technology — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: HANA System Replication in asynchronous mode — HANA system replication in sync mode over a reasonable distance (us-east-1 to us-west-2) can achieve sub-15 minute RPO. However, latency may cause performance impact. Async mode is typically used for long distance. Option A (HANA System Replication in async mode) meets RPO and RTO cost-effectively. Option B (sync mode) may not be feasible due to latency. Option C (EBS snapshots) has higher RPO. Option D (RTO too high).
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: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
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 →
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. A company is designing a disaster recovery (DR) strategy for its SAP environment on AWS. The primary region is us-east-1 and the DR region is us-west-2. The SAP application and database must be recoverable within 4 hours (RTO) and with a maximum data loss of 15 minutes (RPO). The database is SAP HANA. Which combination of services meets these requirements?
easy
A.Use Amazon EBS snapshots replicated across regions, restoring in the DR region with a CloudFormation template.
B.Back up the HANA database to Amazon S3 and copy the backup to the DR region using cross-region replication.
✓ C.Configure HANA System Replication (HSR) between the primary and DR regions, with a standby EC2 instance in us-west-2.
D.Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication to an RDS for SAP HANA instance in the DR region.
Why C: Option B is correct because HANA System Replication with log shipping provides low RPO (15 minutes) and can be combined with a standby instance in the DR region for failover within 4 hours. Option A is wrong because EBS snapshots alone may not achieve 15-minute RPO. Option C is wrong because DMS is for homogeneous migrations, not real-time replication. Option D is wrong because S3 is for backups, not replication.
Variation 2. A company is designing an SAP HANA disaster recovery solution using SAP HANA System Replication. Which TWO AWS services are required to enable automatic failover across AWS Regions?
medium
✓ A.AWS Elastic Load Balancing (NLB)
B.AWS Direct Connect
C.AWS CloudFormation
✓ D.AWS Route 53
E.AWS Shield
Why A: AWS Route 53 provides DNS-based failover routing to redirect traffic to the DR region. AWS Elastic Load Balancing (NLB) is used to distribute traffic to the HANA instances and can be used with a floating IP. AWS Direct Connect is not required. AWS CloudFormation is not needed for automatic failover. AWS Shield is for DDoS protection.
Variation 3. A company is designing a disaster recovery solution for SAP HANA. The primary site is in us-east-1 and the DR site is in us-west-2. The RPO is 5 minutes and the RTO is 30 minutes. Which replication method meets these requirements?
medium
A.Amazon RDS Multi-AZ deployment
B.Scheduled EBS snapshots copied to us-west-2
✓ C.SAP HANA System Replication with synchronous mode
D.AWS Database Migration Service with ongoing replication
Why C: Option C is correct because HANA System Replication with synchronous mode can achieve low RPO. Option A is incorrect because RDS Multi-AZ is for single Region. Option B is incorrect because EBS snapshots have higher RPO. Option D is incorrect because DMS continuous replication is for databases but not optimized for HANA.
Variation 4. A company is designing an SAP HANA disaster recovery solution on AWS. The primary system is in us-east-1, and the DR system must be in us-west-2. The RPO is 15 minutes, and RTO is 1 hour. Which TWO approaches meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
medium
✓ A.Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with ongoing replication from the primary HANA database to a target HANA database in us-west-2.
B.Take EBS snapshots of HANA data volumes every 15 minutes and copy them to us-west-2.
C.Use Amazon S3 Cross-Region Replication to copy HANA backup files to us-west-2.
✓ D.Configure SAP HANA System Replication (HSR) from the primary to a secondary HANA instance in us-west-2.
E.Use AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) to replicate the entire HANA server to us-west-2.
Why A: Option A and Option D are correct. SAP HANA System Replication provides synchronous or asynchronous replication with low RPO. Cross-Region replication to us-west-2 meets RPO of 15 minutes. AWS DMS can also replicate HANA data with ongoing replication, achieving low RPO. Option B (S3 CRR) is for object replication, not HANA. Option C (EBS snapshots) cannot achieve 15-minute RPO due to frequency. Option E (Application Migration Service) is for server replication but RPO may not be as low.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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