- A
Increase the size of the gp2 volume to get more baseline IOPS
Why wrong: Increasing gp2 size improves IOPS but io2 Block Express is better for latency.
- B
Move the database to a t3.large instance
Why wrong: t3 instances are burstable and not suitable for production SAP HANA.
- C
Enable EBS optimization on the instance
Why wrong: EBS optimization is already enabled on r5 instances.
- D
Change the volume type to io2 Block Express
io2 Block Express offers consistent low latency and high IOPS for SAP HANA.
Question 605 of 1,733
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. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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 experiencing performance issues with their SAP ERP system on AWS. The system is running on an r5.4xlarge EC2 instance with gp2 EBS volumes. The database is SAP HANA. CloudWatch metrics show high write latency on the data volume. Which change would most likely improve performance?
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.
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
✓
Change the volume type to io2 Block Express
Option D is correct because SAP HANA is highly sensitive to storage latency, and the high write latency on the data volume indicates that gp2's burst model is insufficient for sustained write workloads. io2 Block Express provides consistent, sub-millisecond latency with provisioned IOPS up to 256,000, which directly addresses the performance bottleneck. This change aligns with AWS best practices for SAP HANA production workloads, which recommend io2 volumes for data and log volumes.
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.
- ✗
Increase the size of the gp2 volume to get more baseline IOPS
Why it's wrong here
Increasing gp2 size improves IOPS but io2 Block Express is better for latency.
- ✗
Move the database to a t3.large instance
Why it's wrong here
t3 instances are burstable and not suitable for production SAP HANA.
- ✗
Enable EBS optimization on the instance
Why it's wrong here
EBS optimization is already enabled on r5 instances.
- ✓
Change the volume type to io2 Block Express
Why this is correct
io2 Block Express offers consistent low latency and high IOPS for SAP HANA.
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume increasing gp2 volume size (Option A) is a simple fix for IOPS, but they overlook that gp2's burst model cannot sustain the high-write, low-latency requirements of SAP HANA, and that AWS explicitly recommends io2 volumes for production HANA workloads.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SAP HANA uses a columnar, in-memory database that relies on fast persistent storage for savepoints and log writes; even small latency spikes can cause transaction delays and impact overall system throughput. io2 Block Express volumes use a dedicated storage area network (SAN) architecture with NVMe-based access, delivering consistent single-digit millisecond latency and up to 4,000 IOPS per GiB, which is critical for HANA's log volume writes. In contrast, gp2 volumes rely on a burst bucket that depletes under sustained writes, leading to throttled IOPS and increased latency once the burst credits are exhausted.
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 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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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 — 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
Related PAS-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS practice questions
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Design of SAP Workloads on AWS.
Technology practice questions
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Technology.
Migration practice questions
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Migration.
Operations and Maintenance practice questions
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Operations and Maintenance.
PAS-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 fundamentals.
PAS-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 scenario.
PAS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free PAS-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Change the volume type to io2 Block Express — Option D is correct because SAP HANA is highly sensitive to storage latency, and the high write latency on the data volume indicates that gp2's burst model is insufficient for sustained write workloads. io2 Block Express provides consistent, sub-millisecond latency with provisioned IOPS up to 256,000, which directly addresses the performance bottleneck. This change aligns with AWS best practices for SAP HANA production workloads, which recommend io2 volumes for data and log volumes.
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: "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.
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 →
Keep practising
More PAS-C01 practice questions
- A company runs SAP S/4HANA on AWS. The environment includes an SAP HANA database on an EC2 instance with multiple EBS vo…
- A company runs SAP S/4HANA on AWS with a High Availability (HA) cluster spanning two Availability Zones (us-east-1a and…
- A company is planning to migrate its SAP landscape to AWS. The landscape includes development, quality assurance, and pr…
- A company is using AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager to patch a fleet of EC2 instances. The instances are in a patch gro…
- A company is migrating a legacy on-premises application to AWS. The application uses a MySQL database with a complex sto…
- A company is migrating a large SAP ERP system to AWS using SAP HANA. They want to minimize downtime and ensure consisten…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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.