Quick Answer
The correct answer is Amazon CloudWatch and AWS Systems Manager. CloudWatch is essential for monitoring SAP HANA performance because it can ingest custom database metrics through the SAP HANA plugin for the CloudWatch Agent, while also tracking standard EC2 metrics like CPU and memory for holistic visibility. Systems Manager complements this by using Run Command and Inventory to execute SAP HANA SQL queries and collect OS-level metrics directly from the EC2 instances, enabling deeper performance analysis. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of how to combine agent-based database monitoring with agentless OS management—a common scenario where candidates mistakenly choose only CloudWatch or only Systems Manager. Remember that CloudWatch provides the metric ingestion and alarming, while Systems Manager handles the script execution and inventory collection. A useful memory tip: think of CloudWatch as the “watchtower” for metrics and Systems Manager as the “toolbox” for commands.
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. 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.
Which TWO AWS services can be used to monitor the performance of an SAP HANA database running on EC2? (Choose two.)
AWS Systems Manager
Systems Manager can collect OS and application metrics.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not performance metrics.
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: Trusted Advisor provides recommendations, not monitoring.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config tracks configuration changes.
Amazon CloudWatch
CloudWatch collects and monitors metrics.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Systems Manager
AWS Systems Manager (SSM) is correct because it provides the Run Command and Inventory features that can execute scripts (e.g., SAP HANA SQL queries) and collect OS-level metrics (CPU, memory, disk) from EC2 instances. Amazon CloudWatch is correct because it can ingest custom metrics from the SAP HANA database (e.g., via the SAP HANA plugin for CloudWatch Agent) and monitor standard EC2 metrics like CPU utilization and memory, enabling performance monitoring and alarming.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Systems Manager
Why this is correct
Systems Manager can collect OS and application metrics.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not performance metrics.
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor provides recommendations, not monitoring.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config tracks configuration changes.
Amazon CloudWatch
Why this is correct
CloudWatch collects and monitors metrics.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS CloudTrail (audit logging) with CloudWatch (monitoring), or assume AWS Config can monitor performance because it tracks resource state, but neither provides the real-time metric collection needed for SAP HANA performance monitoring.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the Amazon CloudWatch Agent can be configured with a custom plugin to collect SAP HANA-specific metrics (e.g., SQL execution times, memory pool usage) via the SAP HANA HDBSQL command-line interface or the SAP HANA SQLDBC API. AWS Systems Manager Run Command can execute PowerShell or shell scripts that query SAP HANA system views (e.g., M_HOST_RESOURCE_UTILIZATION) and push results to CloudWatch, enabling near-real-time dashboards. In a real-world scenario, you might use SSM to automate the collection of HANA memory pressure metrics and CloudWatch to trigger an Auto Scaling action or alert when thresholds are breached.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Technology — This question tests Technology — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Systems Manager — AWS Systems Manager (SSM) is correct because it provides the Run Command and Inventory features that can execute scripts (e.g., SAP HANA SQL queries) and collect OS-level metrics (CPU, memory, disk) from EC2 instances. Amazon CloudWatch is correct because it can ingest custom metrics from the SAP HANA database (e.g., via the SAP HANA plugin for CloudWatch Agent) and monitor standard EC2 metrics like CPU utilization and memory, enabling performance monitoring and alarming.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Same concept, more angles
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 AWS services can be used to monitor the health and performance of an SAP HANA database on AWS?
hardWhy B: Options A and D are correct. CloudWatch can monitor OS and custom HANA metrics. HANA itself provides monitoring via SQL queries (e.g., SAP HANA cockpit). Option B is incorrect because AWS Config tracks configuration, not performance. Option C is incorrect because VPC Flow Logs monitor network traffic. Option E is incorrect because Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks, not real-time monitoring.
Variation 2. Which TWO AWS services can be used to monitor the performance of SAP HANA databases running on EC2 instances? (Choose two.)
mediumWhy A: Amazon CloudWatch is correct because it can collect and monitor custom metrics from SAP HANA databases running on EC2 instances, such as CPU utilization, memory usage, and disk I/O, via the CloudWatch agent or direct API calls. Additionally, SAP HANA-specific metrics like row store memory and column store memory can be exposed through CloudWatch by integrating with SAP HANA's monitoring views or using AWS-provided solutions like the SAP HANA CloudWatch monitoring script.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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.
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