Study SAP-C02 Performance Objectives Solution Design: key concepts, common traps, and exam decision cues.
Performance questions in SAP-C02 are about matching the workload to the right AWS service family, not about memorizing one fastest option. The exam expects you to decide whether the real lever is compute, storage, network path, caching, or data platform choice.
| Need | Strongest first fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| CPU or memory constrained compute | right-sized EC2 family or managed compute platform | compute choice is the main lever |
| global content delivery and reduced latency | CloudFront or Global Accelerator | edge and network path improvement |
| repeated hot-read access | ElastiCache or CDN caching | reduce backend pressure |
| high-throughput file or shared storage pattern | EFS or FSx, depending on workload shape | storage semantics matter |
| purpose-built low-latency or specialized data access | DynamoDB, ElastiCache, or another purpose-built store | data model and access pattern drive speed |
| Trap | Better rule |
|---|---|
| scaling compute when storage or network is the real bottleneck | identify the limiting layer first |
| forcing every workload into one familiar database engine | performance often improves by choosing the right purpose-built store |
| ignoring edge acceleration options for global users | network path and edge placement can be the primary fix |
| optimizing for raw speed while ignoring cost or operability | SAP-C02 expects balanced trade-offs, not only maximum speed |
Performance questions usually reward bottleneck diagnosis before service selection. If static or cacheable content is slow globally, think CloudFront. If repeated reads are crushing a backend, think caching. If the symptom is unclear, identify whether the real bottleneck is compute, storage, network, cache, or the data model. SAP-C02 prefers measured fit over “bigger instance” reflexes.