PAS-C01 Design of SAP Workloads on AWS Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are valid storage options for SAP HANA data files on AWS?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse Amazon S3 or EFS as viable storage for SAP HANA data files because they are durable and scalable, but they fail to recognize that HANA requires block-level storage with low latency and high IOPS that only EBS volumes can provide.
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
✓
Amazon EBS gp3 volumes with sufficient IOPS
Amazon EBS gp3 volumes are a valid storage option for SAP HANA data files because they provide consistent baseline performance of 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s throughput, with the ability to provision additional IOPS independently of storage capacity. SAP HANA requires high IOPS and low latency for its data persistence layer, and gp3 volumes meet these requirements when configured with sufficient IOPS, making them a cost-effective choice for many HANA workloads on AWS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon EBS gp3 volumes with sufficient IOPS
Why this is correct
gp3 can be provisioned with adequate IOPS.
- ✗
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 is not block storage.
- ✓
Amazon EBS io2 Block Express volumes
Why this is correct
io2 Block Express provides high IOPS for HANA.
- ✗
Instance Store volumes
Why it's wrong here
Instance Store is ephemeral.
- ✗
Amazon EFS
Why it's wrong here
EFS is file storage, not for database files.
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 |
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