AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty Exam

AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty Exam Answers

The AWS Certified SAP on AWS – Specialty Exam is designed for individuals who wish to demonstrate their expertise in deploying and managing SAP workloads on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This exam is ideal for those working with SAP solutions and seeking to validate their ability to manage SAP environments effectively on AWS.

What You Will Learn

By preparing for the AWS Certified SAP on AWS – Specialty Exam, you’ll gain a deep understanding of AWS services and solutions specifically tailored for SAP workloads. You will learn how to design, deploy, and operate SAP solutions using AWS’s high-performance, scalable, and cost-effective infrastructure. The knowledge gained will include:

  1. Best Practices for SAP on AWS: You’ll understand AWS’s best practices for deploying and managing SAP applications, ensuring high availability, scalability, and security.

  2. SAP Solutions Architecture on AWS: Learn to architect AWS solutions that support critical SAP workloads, such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business One, SAP BW, and others.

  3. AWS Integration with SAP: Learn how to integrate SAP workloads with AWS services such as Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, and Amazon RDS to improve performance and efficiency.

  4. Cost Optimization: Understand how to use AWS’s cost management tools to keep SAP workloads efficient and within budget.

  5. Security and Compliance: Gain an understanding of securing SAP systems on AWS, including IAM, encryption, and compliance frameworks necessary for regulated industries.

  6. Backup and Recovery Strategies: Master disaster recovery and business continuity practices to ensure SAP systems are always available and protected.

Who Should Take This Exam

The AWS Certified SAP on AWS – Specialty Exam is ideal for:

  • SAP Architects and Engineers: Individuals responsible for designing, deploying, and managing SAP environments on AWS.

  • Cloud Architects: Those who specialize in architecting cloud solutions and want to deepen their expertise in running SAP workloads on AWS.

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architects: Professionals who want to validate their knowledge of AWS’s tools and best practices for SAP workloads.

  • SAP Consultants: Those working with SAP technologies in a consulting role, assisting organizations in their SAP migrations or optimization projects on AWS.

This exam is not intended for beginners and is best suited for those with experience in SAP environments and AWS services.

Topics Covered in the Exam

The AWS Certified SAP on AWS – Specialty Exam covers a wide range of topics related to deploying, managing, and optimizing SAP workloads on AWS. Some of the key domains include:

  1. SAP on AWS Architecture (15%)

    • Designing and deploying SAP workloads on AWS

    • Identifying optimal AWS services for various SAP components

    • High availability and disaster recovery considerations for SAP workloads

    • Architecture best practices for SAP applications (SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, SAP BW, etc.)

  2. SAP System Implementation on AWS (25%)

    • Implementing SAP on Amazon EC2, including sizing, installation, and configuration

    • Using AWS CloudFormation to deploy SAP systems

    • Creating and managing storage solutions for SAP workloads (e.g., Amazon EBS, Amazon S3)

    • SAP system configuration and integration with AWS services like Amazon RDS and Amazon FSx

  3. Security, Governance, and Compliance (20%)

    • Implementing IAM policies for SAP workloads

    • Using AWS KMS for data encryption and securing SAP applications

    • Managing SAP security and compliance in regulated industries (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA)

    • Implementing security controls, monitoring, and auditing SAP environments on AWS

  4. Operations, Optimization, and Automation (20%)

    • Performance tuning and cost optimization for SAP on AWS

    • Automating SAP provisioning and operations using AWS services such as Lambda and Systems Manager

    • Monitoring and managing SAP system performance with AWS CloudWatch

    • Utilizing Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling to dynamically adjust capacity for SAP workloads

  5. Migration and Hybrid Cloud Solutions (20%)

    • Migrating SAP workloads from on-premises to AWS

    • Hybrid architecture best practices for SAP workloads (e.g., AWS Direct Connect, AWS Storage Gateway)

    • Using AWS Migration Hub and AWS Database Migration Service to assist in SAP migrations

    • Integrating SAP with AWS native services to enable hybrid cloud capabilities

Preparation for the Exam

To prepare for the AWS Certified SAP on AWS – Specialty Exam, it’s essential to have hands-on experience with both SAP systems and AWS. While there is no formal prerequisite, it is recommended that candidates have a strong background in SAP and AWS solutions. Familiarity with AWS services, such as EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFormation, and IAM, is important for success on the exam.

AWS provides a variety of resources for exam preparation, including whitepapers, training courses, and hands-on labs. Additionally, many third-party providers offer study materials, practice exams, and guides tailored to this specialty certification.

The AWS Certified SAP on AWS – Specialty Exam is a valuable certification for professionals seeking to specialize in the deployment, management, and optimization of SAP environments on AWS. By taking this exam, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills required to leverage AWS for running mission-critical SAP workloads efficiently and securely. Whether you are an SAP consultant, architect, or engineer, this certification will enhance your expertise and help you contribute to successful SAP implementations in the cloud.

Sample Questions and Answers (PAS-C01)

Which of the following AWS services provides the best option for deploying highly available SAP HANA on AWS?

A. Amazon RDS
B. Amazon Redshift
C. EC2 instances with EBS volumes
D. AWS Lambda

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Amazon EC2 with EBS is the supported method for deploying SAP HANA. RDS and Redshift are not certified for SAP HANA. Lambda is not suitable for long-running, memory-intensive applications like SAP.

What is a key consideration when deploying SAP NetWeaver on AWS?

A. Choose an AWS Region with fewer availability zones
B. Use Amazon S3 as the primary database
C. Ensure the instance types are certified by SAP
D. Use AWS Elastic Beanstalk for deployment

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: SAP has a list of certified EC2 instance types for NetWeaver workloads to ensure compatibility and support. S3 is object storage and not suitable for primary DB; Elastic Beanstalk is not used for SAP deployments.

Which AWS service allows SAP customers to extend their on-premises Active Directory for SSO in the cloud?

A. AWS IAM
B. AWS CloudHSM
C. AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory
D. Amazon Cognito

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory (AWS Managed Microsoft AD) is used to integrate SAP workloads with AD and support single sign-on.

A customer is deploying SAP HANA on AWS and requires multi-AZ high availability. Which storage option should be used?

A. Amazon S3
B. Instance Store
C. Amazon EBS with HANA Fast Restart
D. Amazon FSx for Windows

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Amazon EBS with HANA Fast Restart supports high availability by enabling faster recovery. Instance stores are ephemeral, and S3 is not block storage.

Which of the following is a critical requirement for SAP certification on AWS?

A. Running on Graviton processors
B. Using default EC2 security groups
C. Using supported EC2 instance families
D. Deploying using AWS Fargate

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Only specific EC2 instance families (like r5, x1e, u6i, etc.) are certified for SAP workloads. Graviton and Fargate are not SAP certified.

 

Which AWS service helps automate SAP HANA system deployment with preconfigured templates?

A. AWS CloudFormation
B. AWS Amplify
C. AWS CodeDeploy
D. Amazon QuickSight

Correct Answer: A
Explanation: CloudFormation allows infrastructure-as-code, and AWS provides prebuilt templates to deploy SAP HANA with best practices.

What feature of Amazon EBS is useful in backing up SAP workloads?

A. Object lifecycle management
B. Data striping
C. Snapshots
D. Bucket policies

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: EBS Snapshots allow point-in-time backups, which are critical for protecting SAP workloads and restoring during disaster recovery.

When setting up monitoring for SAP on AWS, which service provides deep OS-level and SAP application insights?

A. Amazon CloudFront
B. Amazon GuardDuty
C. AWS Systems Manager and Amazon CloudWatch
D. AWS AppSync

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: CloudWatch provides metrics and logs; Systems Manager helps with operational insights and patching of EC2 instances running SAP.

For optimal SAP HANA performance, which EBS volume type is typically recommended?

A. sc1
B. st1
C. gp2
D. io2

Correct Answer: D
Explanation: io2 provides high IOPS and durability, making it suitable for high-performance workloads like SAP HANA.

A customer wants to automate patch management of EC2 instances running SAP. Which AWS service should be used?

A. AWS WAF
B. AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager
C. AWS Auto Scaling
D. AWS Shield

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Systems Manager Patch Manager helps automate OS patching and compliance for EC2 instances.

 

Which AWS service is commonly used to transfer large SAP database backups securely to the cloud?

A. Amazon Glacier
B. AWS Snowball
C. AWS Batch
D. AWS Lambda

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: AWS Snowball is designed for petabyte-scale data transfers, which is often required for large SAP migrations.

Which of the following tools is best for migrating an on-premises SAP workload to AWS EC2?

A. AWS Serverless Application Model
B. AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
C. AWS DataSync
D. AWS Application Migration Service

Correct Answer: D
Explanation: AWS Application Migration Service supports lift-and-shift migrations of entire systems including SAP workloads.

What is one major benefit of using AWS Launch Wizard for SAP?

A. Creates custom AMIs for SAP
B. Provides SAP licensing
C. Automates SAP deployments using best practices
D. Scales SAP applications automatically

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: AWS Launch Wizard guides users through the deployment of SAP systems and uses AWS-recommended best practices.

During an SAP HANA migration, which method ensures minimal downtime?

A. Export/Import with downtime
B. SAP homogeneous system copy
C. SAP HANA System Replication with AWS Fast Restart
D. Backup to S3

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: HANA System Replication with Fast Restart ensures rapid switchover with minimal downtime, which is ideal for production systems.

A customer is planning to migrate SAP to AWS with RPO of 15 minutes and RTO of 1 hour. Which AWS service combination best supports this?

A. S3 + CloudFront
B. CloudFormation + Elastic Beanstalk
C. EC2 + EBS Snapshots + CloudWatch
D. EC2 + HANA System Replication + Route 53

Correct Answer: D
Explanation: HANA System Replication ensures low RPO/RTO. Route 53 can redirect DNS traffic after failover to reduce downtime.

 

Which AWS service can be used to encrypt data volumes for SAP HANA?

A. AWS Certificate Manager
B. Amazon S3
C. AWS KMS
D. Amazon Inspector

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: AWS KMS integrates with EBS to encrypt data at rest, which is a common requirement for SAP compliance.

How can access to the SAP HANA database be securely controlled on AWS?

A. Use EC2 metadata APIs
B. Use IAM roles directly in the SAP app
C. Use security groups and NACLs
D. Use AWS Batch permissions

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Security groups and NACLs are used to restrict access at the network level to EC2 instances running SAP HANA.

Which AWS feature supports fine-grained access control for SAP-related administrative tasks?

A. EC2 launch templates
B. IAM Policies
C. Lambda layers
D. Route 53 routing policies

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: IAM Policies define fine-grained permissions for managing AWS resources associated with SAP workloads.

A customer must comply with GDPR for their SAP workload on AWS. What is an essential step?

A. Store data only in us-west-2
B. Disable backups
C. Use encryption and choose AWS Regions in the EU
D. Use CloudFront to serve SAP content

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: GDPR requires encryption and geographic control of data. Selecting EU regions and encrypting data help meet compliance requirements.

Which service provides logging and auditing of SAP system access and changes on AWS?

A. AWS CloudTrail
B. AWS X-Ray
C. AWS Amplify
D. AWS Neptune

Correct Answer: A
Explanation: CloudTrail logs all AWS API activity, enabling auditability of changes and access to SAP systems.

 

Which AWS feature helps you achieve automatic failover for SAP application servers?

A. Elastic Load Balancing
B. AWS WAF
C. AWS CodePipeline
D. AWS Config

Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Elastic Load Balancer automatically distributes traffic among healthy SAP application servers, supporting HA.

What is the recommended DR strategy for SAP HANA systems with stringent uptime requirements?

A. Backup to Glacier
B. Pilot Light with AMIs
C. Active/Passive with HANA System Replication
D. Multi-Region with DynamoDB

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: HANA System Replication (Active/Passive) is SAP-certified for high availability and disaster recovery.

How can you reduce RTO during HANA failover?

A. Use larger EC2 instances
B. Use HANA Fast Restart with pre-warmed memory
C. Use S3 Transfer Acceleration
D. Increase EBS volume size

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: HANA Fast Restart caches memory pages and enables rapid restart of HANA systems, reducing recovery time.

What is a benefit of using Amazon Route 53 in a DR strategy for SAP?

A. Protects against SQL injection
B. Provides storage replication
C. Enables fast DNS failover
D. Encrypts SAP logs

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Route 53 supports DNS-based failover, which helps in redirecting traffic to standby SAP systems during DR.

Which deployment model ensures zero downtime maintenance of SAP systems on AWS?

A. Active/Active
B. Cold Standby
C. Pilot Light
D. Warm Standby

Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Active/Active allows load sharing and immediate failover without downtime, making it ideal for mission-critical SAP workloads.

 

What is the most cost-effective EC2 purchasing model for steady SAP workloads?

A. Spot Instances
B. On-Demand Instances
C. Reserved Instances
D. Dedicated Hosts

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Reserved Instances offer significant cost savings for predictable, long-term workloads like SAP.

A customer needs to bring their own SAP license to AWS. Which model supports this?

A. AWS License Manager with BYOL
B. Pay-as-you-go
C. AWS Free Tier
D. AWS Marketplace

Correct Answer: A
Explanation: AWS License Manager allows customers to track and manage BYOL licenses, including SAP licensing.

Which AWS tool helps track and forecast SAP workload costs?

A. AWS Billing Console
B. AWS Budgets and Cost Explorer
C. AWS CloudFormation
D. Amazon Redshift

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Cost Explorer and Budgets help in forecasting and analyzing AWS spending for SAP systems.

Which pricing model is least recommended for production SAP systems?

A. Reserved Instances
B. Spot Instances
C. Dedicated Hosts
D. Savings Plans

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Spot Instances can be interrupted at any time, making them unsuitable for mission-critical SAP workloads.

A customer wants to license SAP HANA using AWS-provided licenses. What option should they use?

A. SAP on Redshift
B. Bring Your Own License (BYOL)
C. SAP HANA Quick Start with pay-as-you-go
D. SAP on AWS Lambda

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: AWS offers SAP HANA licensing on a pay-as-you-go model via Quick Start templates for customers who don’t have their own license.