The correct answer is to set up HANA System Replication with synchronous replication to a secondary instance in us-east-1b and configure automatic takeover. This configuration meets the 15-minute RPO because synchronous replication ensures that every committed transaction is written to the secondary database in real time, so data loss is effectively zero at the moment of failure, and the automatic takeover mechanism can restore service within the 30-minute RTO by promoting the standby. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding that SAP HANA high availability synchronous replication across AZ is the only native HANA method that satisfies strict RPO/RTO requirements, while common traps include confusing EBS snapshots (which have a multi-hour RPO) or assuming Multi-AZ RDS applies to HANA on EC2. A key memory tip: think “sync = zero data loss, auto takeover = fast recovery,” and remember that HANA replication is always the go-to for sub-hour RPO on AWS.
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 runs its SAP ERP system on AWS. The SAP application servers are in an Auto Scaling group across two Availability Zones. The SAP HANA database runs on a single EC2 instance in us-east-1a. The database instance has an Elastic IP and uses EBS io1 volumes with 5000 provisioned IOPS. During a recent deployment, the company experienced a complete outage when the Availability Zone us-east-1a became unavailable due to a power failure. The database was unavailable for 6 hours until the zone recovered. The company wants to implement a highly available architecture that can automatically recover from an AZ failure with minimal data loss. The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is 15 minutes and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is 30 minutes. What should the company do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set up HANA System Replication with synchronous replication to a secondary instance in us-east-1b and configure automatic takeover.
Option D is correct because HANA System Replication in sync mode with automatic takeover meets the RPO and RTO. Option A is wrong because a single AZ still has the same risk. Option B is wrong because Multi-AZ for RDS is not applicable to HANA on EC2. Option C is wrong because EBS snapshots have an RPO of hours, not 15 minutes.
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.
✓
Set up HANA System Replication with synchronous replication to a secondary instance in us-east-1b and configure automatic takeover.
Why this is correct
Provides automatic failover with minimal data loss.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Take EBS snapshots every 15 minutes and copy them to another region.
Why it's wrong here
EBS snapshots cannot be taken that frequently and RTO would be high.
✗
Move the HANA database to a larger instance in the same Availability Zone and increase IOPS to 10000.
Why it's wrong here
Does not address AZ failure.
✗
Migrate the HANA database to Amazon RDS for SAP HANA with Multi-AZ enabled.
Why it's wrong here
RDS for SAP HANA does not exist; HANA on AWS is on EC2.
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.
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: Set up HANA System Replication with synchronous replication to a secondary instance in us-east-1b and configure automatic takeover. — Option D is correct because HANA System Replication in sync mode with automatic takeover meets the RPO and RTO. Option A is wrong because a single AZ still has the same risk. Option B is wrong because Multi-AZ for RDS is not applicable to HANA on EC2. Option C is wrong because EBS snapshots have an RPO of hours, not 15 minutes.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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
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