- A
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with continuous replication from the primary HANA database to a target in us-west-2.
Why wrong: DMS does not support HANA as a source for continuous replication.
- B
Use AWS Backup with continuous backups and cross-region copy to achieve RPO of 15 minutes.
Why wrong: AWS Backup for HANA does not support continuous backups; it supports periodic backups only.
- C
Use AWS Backup to take hourly backups of the HANA database and restore in us-west-2 during a disaster.
Why wrong: Hourly backups result in RPO of up to 1 hour, exceeding 15 minutes.
- D
Configure HANA System Replication (HSR) across regions and use a standby HANA instance in us-west-2 with a smaller instance size.
HSR provides near-synchronous replication with RPO of seconds; a smaller standby reduces cost and can be scaled up during failover within RTO.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure HANA System Replication (HSR) across regions with a smaller standby instance in us-west-2. This is correct because HSR is SAP’s native asynchronous replication technology, which can easily meet a 15-minute RPO by continuously shipping log volumes across AWS regions, while the smaller standby instance keeps costs low and still satisfies the 4-hour RTO since it can be scaled up or promoted to primary without a full restore. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that HSR is the most cost-effective DR method for SAP HANA, avoiding expensive third-party tools or slow backup-based restores; a common trap is choosing cross-region backup replication, which cannot meet the 15-minute RPO. Remember the mnemonic “HSR for HANA DR” to instantly recall that native replication, not storage or backup services, is the go-to for low RPO/RTO on AWS.
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. 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 running SAP on AWS and needs to design a disaster recovery (DR) solution with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 15 minutes and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 4 hours. The primary region is us-east-1 and the DR region is us-west-2. The SAP application uses an SAP HANA database with a size of 2 TB. Which combination of AWS services should be used to meet the DR 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 choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Configure HANA System Replication (HSR) across regions and use a standby HANA instance in us-west-2 with a smaller instance size.
Option D is correct because HANA System Replication (HSR) is the native SAP HANA replication technology that can achieve an RPO of 15 minutes or less by asynchronously replicating data across regions. By using a smaller standby instance in us-west-2, the solution meets the RTO of 4 hours (since the standby can be scaled up or promoted quickly) while minimizing ongoing DR costs. This approach is purpose-built for SAP HANA and avoids the overhead of third-party tools or backup-based restores.
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 AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) with continuous replication from the primary HANA database to a target in us-west-2.
Why it's wrong here
DMS does not support HANA as a source for continuous replication.
- ✗
Use AWS Backup with continuous backups and cross-region copy to achieve RPO of 15 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Backup for HANA does not support continuous backups; it supports periodic backups only.
- ✗
Use AWS Backup to take hourly backups of the HANA database and restore in us-west-2 during a disaster.
Why it's wrong here
Hourly backups result in RPO of up to 1 hour, exceeding 15 minutes.
- ✓
Configure HANA System Replication (HSR) across regions and use a standby HANA instance in us-west-2 with a smaller instance size.
Why this is correct
HSR provides near-synchronous replication with RPO of seconds; a smaller standby reduces cost and can be scaled up during failover within RTO.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume AWS Backup or DMS can handle SAP HANA replication, but neither supports the required continuous, low-RPO replication for HANA, and the native HSR is the only service that meets both the RPO and RTO cost-effectively.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
HANA System Replication (HSR) uses log-based asynchronous replication, where the primary HANA instance ships redo log entries to the secondary instance in near real-time, enabling RPOs as low as a few seconds. In a cross-region DR setup, the standby instance can be configured with a smaller instance type (e.g., a lower vCPU/memory tier) to reduce costs, and during a failover, it can be scaled up or the primary can be promoted; however, the RTO of 4 hours must account for the time to promote the standby and potentially resize it. A common real-world consideration is that HSR requires low-latency network connectivity between regions, and if latency exceeds ~10 ms, replication lag may increase, so AWS Direct Connect or a dedicated VPN with optimized routing is often used.
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 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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PAS-C01 question test?
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: Configure HANA System Replication (HSR) across regions and use a standby HANA instance in us-west-2 with a smaller instance size. — Option D is correct because HANA System Replication (HSR) is the native SAP HANA replication technology that can achieve an RPO of 15 minutes or less by asynchronously replicating data across regions. By using a smaller standby instance in us-west-2, the solution meets the RTO of 4 hours (since the standby can be scaled up or promoted quickly) while minimizing ongoing DR costs. This approach is purpose-built for SAP HANA and avoids the overhead of third-party tools or backup-based restores.
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: "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 →
Same concept, more angles
4 more ways this is tested on PAS-C01
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 site is in us-east-1, and the DR site must be in us-west-2. The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is 15 minutes, and the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is 4 hours. Which TWO AWS services should be used to meet these objectives?
medium- A.Amazon Route 53 health checks to fail over DNS to the DR site.
- B.Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling groups to launch instances in us-west-2 on failover.
- ✓ C.SAP HANA System Replication configured with asynchronous replication to a HANA instance in us-west-2.
- ✓ D.AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (AWS DRS) to continuously replicate SAP servers to us-west-2.
- E.AWS Backup to copy EBS snapshots to us-west-2 every 15 minutes.
Why C: SAP HANA System Replication with asynchronous mode can achieve an RPO of 15 minutes or less by continuously replicating log buffers from the primary HANA database in us-east-1 to a secondary HANA instance in us-west-2. This is the native SAP replication mechanism and is the only option that directly meets the database-level RPO requirement without additional overhead.
Variation 2. A company is designing a disaster recovery (DR) strategy for its SAP environment on AWS. The primary site is in us-east-1 and the DR site in us-west-2. The SAP HANA database is 3 TB and uses HANA System Replication (HSR) in async mode. The RPO requirement is 15 minutes. What is the most cost-effective way to meet the RPO?
easy- A.Take full database backups to Amazon S3 every 15 minutes.
- B.Use EBS snapshots every 5 minutes to replicate data to DR region.
- C.Use HANA System Replication in synchronous mode to ensure zero data loss.
- ✓ D.Configure HANA System Replication in asynchronous mode over AWS Direct Connect.
Why D: HSR in async mode over AWS Direct Connect provides low latency and meets the RPO of 15 minutes. Option A (sync mode) would be costly and may have performance impact. Option B (S3 backup) has longer RPO. Option C (EBS snapshots) also has longer RPO. Option D is correct.
Variation 3. A company is designing a disaster recovery (DR) strategy for SAP HANA on AWS. Which TWO of the following are valid DR approaches? (Choose two.)
hard- ✓ A.Configure HANA System Replication to a secondary Region.
- B.Use S3 cross-Region replication (CRR) to copy HANA backups.
- ✓ C.Copy EBS snapshots to another Region using cross-Region snapshot copy.
- D.Use AWS Backup with cross-Region copy.
- E.Use Amazon RDS cross-Region read replicas for HANA.
Why A: Options A and D are correct. A is correct because HANA System Replication can replicate data to another Region. D is correct because cross-Region EBS snapshots can be used for DR. B is incorrect because RDS is not used for SAP HANA (HANA runs on EC2). C is incorrect because S3 cross-Region replication is for S3 objects, not HANA data. E is incorrect because AWS Backup with cross-Region copy can be used, but it is not a DR approach on its own; it backs up EBS snapshots.
Variation 4. A company is designing a disaster recovery solution for SAP HANA on AWS using HANA System Replication. The primary site is in us-east-1 and the DR site is in us-west-2. Which TWO components are required to enable replication across Regions? (Choose two.)
hard- ✓ A.AWS Site-to-Site VPN or AWS Direct Connect between the two Regions
- B.VPC peering between the two VPCs
- ✓ C.Automated EBS snapshots of /hana/data and /hana/log volumes in us-east-1, copied to us-west-2
- D.AWS Global Accelerator
- E.Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why A: Option B and Option D are correct: A VPN or Direct Connect (B) provides network connectivity, and EBS snapshots (D) can be used to replicate data if synchronous replication is not feasible. Option A is wrong because S3 Transfer Acceleration is not needed. Option C is wrong because VPC peering does not work across Regions (use Transit Gateway or VPN). Option E is wrong because AWS Global Accelerator improves latency but is not required.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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