Introduction
There are many reasons to get certified in AWS technology. First of all, AWS certifications validate your AWS cloud knowledge. As a starting point for understanding the AWS cloud, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) exam is one great place to start. However, there are other certifications that may be a better fit, depending on your technical level, your current knowledge of cloud concepts, and your current and future jobs with AWS technologies and services. Certifications are broken down into Foundational, Associate, Professional, and Specialty certifications. Full details can be found at https://aws.amazon.com/certification/. AWS frequently adds new certification tracks, but the following are the certifications that are currently available:
Foundational: There is one Foundational certification: Cloud Practitioner. The recommendation is to have at least 6 months of fundamental AWS cloud knowledge before attempting this certification exam. You might be closer to this certification than you think, depending on your current level of technical skills. One advantage of taking the Cloud Practitioner exam first is that it helps you get used to answering multiple-choice test questions and learn about the foundational AWS cloud services.
Associate: There are several Associate certifications:
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate: For individuals working as solutions architects, designing AWS solutions using AWS services
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate: For individuals working as system administrators, managing and operating AWS services
AWS Certified Developer - Associate: For individuals working as developers, deploying and debugging cloud-based applications hosted at AWS
Each certification exam expects that you know how the AWS service that you are being tested on works. Each Associate certification has a specific focus:
Architect: The best design possible, based on the question and scenario
SysOps: The administration steps required to carry out a particular task
Developer: How to best use the service for the hosted application you are writing
For example, the three Associate exams would test different aspects of CloudWatch logs:
Architect: The main focus of this exam is on how CloudWatch logs work and the main design features to consider based on specific needs—that is, design knowledge related to using CloudWatch logs for a variety of solutions.
SysOps: The main focus of this exam is on how to configure CloudWatch logs based on specific needs—that is, configuration and deployment of CloudWatch logs using operational knowledge.
Developer: The main focus of this exam is on what CloudWatch logs are useful for when developing applications for tracking performance of an application hosted on an EC2 instance—that is, knowledge of how a particular AWS service can help in the development and testing process with applications.
Before you attempt one of the Associate certifications, AWS recommends that you have at least 1 year of experience solving problems and implementing solutions using AWS services. AWS really wants to ensure that you have hands-on experience solving problems.
Professional: These certifications include the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional and the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional. Professional certifications are not where you normally start your certification journey. AWS recommends that you have at least 2 years of hands-on experience before taking these tough Professional exams.
Specialty: The Specialty certifications for Advanced Networking, Security, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, and Database require advanced knowledge of the subject matter. AWS recommends that you have an Associate certification before you attempt one of these certifications.
Note
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) certification is globally recognized and does an excellent job of demonstrating that the holder has knowledge and skills across a broad range of AWS topics.
The Goals of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate Certification
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification is intended for individuals who perform in a solutions architect role. This exam validates a candidate’s ability to effectively demonstrate knowledge of how to architect and deploy secure and robust applications on AWS technologies. It validates a candidate’s ability to
Define a solution using architectural design principles based on customer requirements
Provide implementation guidance based on best practices to an organization throughout the lifecycle of a project
Recommended Prerequisite Skills
While this book provides you with the information required to pass the Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) exam, Amazon considers ideal candidates to be those who possess the following:
At least 1 year of hands-on experience designing highly available, cost-effective, fault-tolerant, and scalable distributed systems on AWS
Hands-on experience using compute, networking, storage, and database AWS services
Hands-on experience with AWS deployment and management services
Ability to identify and define technical requirements for an AWS-based application
Ability to identify which AWS services meet a given technical requirement
Knowledge of recommended best practices for building secure and reliable applications on the AWS platform
An understanding of the basic architectural principles involved in building in AWS Cloud
An understanding of the AWS global infrastructure
An understanding of network technologies related to AWS
An understanding of security features and tools that AWS provides and how they relate to traditional services
The Exam Objectives (Domains)
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) exam is broken down into five major domains. This book covers each of the domains and the subtopics included in them.
The following table lists the breakdown of the domains represented on the exam:
Domain |
Percentage of Representation in Exam |
|---|---|
Domain 1: Design Resilient Architectures |
30% |
Domain 2: Design High-Performing Architectures |
28% |
Domain 3: Design Secure Applications and Architectures |
24% |
Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures |
18% |
Total 100% |
Each domain includes a number of objectives:
Domain 1: Design Resilient Architectures: This domain is covered in Chapters 2–5
1.1 Design a multi-tier architecture solution
1.2 Design highly available and/or fault-tolerant architectures
1.3 Design decoupling mechanisms using AWS services
1.4 Choose appropriate resilient storage
Domain 2: Design High-Performing Architectures: This domain is covered in Chapters 6–9
2.1 Identify elastic and scalable compute solutions for a workload
2.2 Select high-performing and scalable storage solutions for a workload
2.3 Select high-performing networking solutions for a workload
2.4 Choose high-performing database solutions for a workload
Domain 3: Design Secure Applications and Architectures: This domain is covered in Chapters 10–12
3.1 Design secure access to AWS resources
3.2 Design secure application tiers
3.3 Select appropriate data security options
Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures: This domain is covered in Chapter 13
4.1 Identify cost-effective storage solutions
4.2 Identify cost-effective compute and database services
4.3 Design cost-optimized network architectures
Steps to Becoming an AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
To become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate, an exam candidate must meet certain prerequisites and follow specific procedures. Exam candidates must ensure that they have the necessary background and technical experience for the exam and then sign up for the exam.
Signing Up for the Exam
The steps required to sign up for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam are as follows:
Step 1. Create an AWS Certification account at https://www.aws.training/Certification and schedule your exam from the home page by clicking Schedule New Exam.
Step 2. Select a testing provider, either Pearson VUE or PSI, and select whether you want to take the exam at a local testing center or online from your home or office. If you choose to take an online exam, you will have to agree to the online testing policies.
Step 3. Complete the examination signup by selecting the preferred language and the date of your exam.
Step 4. Submit the examination fee.
Tip
Refer to the AWS Certification site at https://aws.amazon.com/certification/ for more information regarding this and other AWS certifications.
What This Book Covers
This book maps directly to the domains of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) exam and includes a number of features that help you understand the topics and prepare for the exam.
Objectives and Methods
This book uses several key methodologies to help you discover the exam topics on which you need more review, to help you fully understand and remember those details, and to help you ensure that you have retained your knowledge of those topics. This book does not try to help you pass the exam only by memorization; it seeks to help you truly learn and understand the topics. This book is designed to help you pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) exam by using the following methods:
Helping you discover which exam topics you have not mastered
Providing explanations and information to fill in your knowledge gaps
Supplying exercises that enhance your ability to recall and deduce the answers to test questions
Providing practice exercises on the topics and the testing process via test questions on the companion website
Book Features
To help you customize your study time using this book, the core chapters have several features that help you make the best use of your time:
Foundation Topics: The sections under “Foundation Topics” describe the core topics of each chapter.
Exam Preparation Tasks: The “Exam Preparation Tasks” section lists a series of study activities that you should do at the end of each chapter:
Review All Key Topics: The Key Topic icon appears next to the most important items in the “Foundation Topics” section of the chapter. The “Review All Key Topics” activity lists the key topics from the chapter, along with the number of the page where you can find more information about each one. Although the contents of the entire chapter could be tested on the exam, you should definitely know the information listed in each key topic, so you should review these.
Define Key Terms: Although the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) exam may be unlikely to word a question “Define this term,” the exam does require that you learn and know a lot of terminology. This section lists the most important terms from the chapter and asks you to write a short definition and compare your answer to the glossary at the end of the book.
Q&A: Confirm that you understand the content that you just covered by answering these questions and reading the answer explanations.
Web-based practice exam: The companion website includes the Pearson Test Prep practice test engine, which enables you to take practice exam questions. Use it to prepare with a sample exam and to pinpoint topics where you need more study.
How This Book Is Organized
This book contains 12 core chapters—Chapters 2 through 13. Chapter 1 introduces the foundations of AWS, and Chapter 14 provides preparation tips and suggestions for how to approach the exam. Each core chapter covers a subset of the topics on the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) exam:
Chapters 2–5 cover the topics in Domain 1.
Chapters 6–9 cover the topics in Domain 2.
Chapters 10–12 cover the topics in Domain 3.
Chapters 13 covers all the topics in Domain 4.
Companion Website
Register this book to get access to the Pearson Test Prep practice test software and other study materials plus additional bonus content. Check this site regularly for new and updated postings written by the author that provide further insight into the more troublesome topics on the exam. Be sure to check the box indicating that you would like to hear from us to receive updates and exclusive discounts on future editions of this product or related products.
To access this companion website, follow these steps:
Step 1. Go to www.pearsonitcertification.com/register and log in or create a new account.
Step 2. Enter the ISBN 9780137325214.
Step 3. Answer the challenge question as proof of purchase.
Step 4. Click the Access Bonus Content link in the Registered Products section of your account page to be taken to the page where your downloadable content is available.
Please note that many of our companion content files can be very large, especially image and video files.
If you are unable to locate the files for this title by following these steps, please visit www.pearsonITcertification.com/contact and select the Site Problems/Comments option. Our customer service representatives will assist you.
Pearson Test Prep Practice Test Software
As noted earlier, the Pearson Test Prep practice test software comes with two full practice exams. These practice tests are available to you either online or as an offline Windows application. To access the practice exams that were developed with this book, see the instructions in the card inserted in the sleeve at the back of the book. This card includes a unique access code that enables you to activate your exams in the Pearson Test Prep practice test software. For more information about the practice tests and more tools for exam preparation, see Chapter 14.