The answer is a combination of CloudWatch Logs metric filter, CloudWatch alarm, and Amazon SNS. This works because a metric filter continuously scans incoming log events for the string 'ERROR' and publishes a count as a custom metric to CloudWatch, allowing an alarm to evaluate that metric against a threshold of 100 over a 5-minute period; when breached, the alarm publishes to an SNS topic that triggers an email notification. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of serverless log monitoring patterns—a common trap is trying to use CloudWatch Logs Insights or Lambda functions for real-time alerting, which adds unnecessary overhead. Remember the three-step pipeline: filter the logs, alarm on the metric, notify via SNS. A useful memory tip is "FAN" for Filter, Alarm, Notify.
SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. 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 SysOps administrator needs to monitor the application logs of a web server and receive an email notification when the number of 'ERROR' log entries exceeds 100 in a 5-minute window. The logs are already being sent to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. Which combination of AWS services should be used to meet this requirement with the least operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
CloudWatch Logs metric filter, CloudWatch alarm, and Amazon SNS
Option A is correct because CloudWatch Logs metric filters can parse log events for the string 'ERROR' and count them in real time. A CloudWatch alarm can then trigger when the metric exceeds 100 in a 5-minute period, and Amazon SNS sends the email notification. This combination requires no custom code or additional infrastructure, minimizing operational overhead.
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.
✓
CloudWatch Logs metric filter, CloudWatch alarm, and Amazon SNS
Why this is correct
Uses managed features to filter logs, set threshold, and notify via email.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose and AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Overly complex and costly for simple threshold alerting.
✗
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge
Why it's wrong here
Monitors API calls, not application logs.
✗
AWS Config managed rule and Amazon SNS
Why it's wrong here
Evaluates resource compliance, not log content.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse CloudTrail (which logs API calls) with CloudWatch Logs (which stores application logs), leading them to choose Option C, but CloudTrail cannot inspect application log content.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudWatch Logs metric filters use a pattern syntax (e.g., '[ERROR]') to match log events and increment a metric value. The alarm evaluates the metric over a specified period (e.g., 5 minutes) using a statistic like 'Sum' to compare against the threshold. Under the hood, the metric filter runs asynchronously as logs are ingested, with a latency of up to a few minutes, so the 5-minute window accounts for this delay.
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 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
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.
Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — This question tests Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: CloudWatch Logs metric filter, CloudWatch alarm, and Amazon SNS — Option A is correct because CloudWatch Logs metric filters can parse log events for the string 'ERROR' and count them in real time. A CloudWatch alarm can then trigger when the metric exceeds 100 in a 5-minute period, and Amazon SNS sends the email notification. This combination requires no custom code or additional infrastructure, minimizing operational overhead.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 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: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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