Jeff’s Note #
Unlike generic exam dumps, ADH analyzes this scenario through the lens of a Real-World Site Reliability Engineer.
For SOA-C02 candidates, the confusion often lies in how best to replicate infrastructure portfolios across accounts without manual overhead or fragile scripting. In production, this is about knowing exactly which AWS Service Catalog features support seamless portfolio sharing and duplication at scale. Let’s drill down.
The Certification Drill (Simulated Question) #
Scenario #
Aurora Tech Solutions is expanding its cloud presence by onboarding several new AWS accounts to support business growth. Their current AWS infrastructure is standardized using AWS Service Catalog portfolios that bundle approved CloudFormation templates and products. The SRE team is tasked with replicating this existing setup into the new accounts to ensure governance and compliance.
The Requirement: #
Identify the most operationally efficient and scalable method the SRE team should use to create duplicates of Aurora’s AWS Service Catalog portfolios in the new AWS accounts.
The Options #
- A) Create a reusable AWS CloudFormation template and deploy the existing AWS Service Catalog portfolios from this template in the new AWS accounts.
- B) Manually recreate the AWS Service Catalog portfolios in each new AWS account by duplicating the configurations.
- C) Develop an AWS Lambda function that calls the DescribePortfolio API and uses its output to programmatically create new portfolios in the target accounts.
- D) Share the existing AWS Service Catalog portfolios directly with the new AWS accounts using AWS Service Catalog sharing features, then import the portfolios into those accounts.
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Correct Answer #
D
Quick Insight: The SOA-C02 Operational Efficiency Imperative #
- For SysOps: Knowledge of AWS Service Catalog portfolio sharing capabilities avoids unnecessary manual work and fragile custom automation.
- Sharing portfolios enables native cross-account governance at scale, leveraging AWS’s built-in security and API controls.
Content Locked: The Expert Analysis #
You’ve identified the answer. But do you know the implementation details that separate a Junior from a Senior?
The Expert’s Analysis #
Correct Answer #
Option D
The Winning Logic #
Option D leverages AWS Service Catalog’s native portfolio sharing feature, which is specifically designed for cross-account resource governance. This approach allows portfolios to be centrally managed in one account (often called the administrator or portfolio owner account) and shared directly with other AWS accounts or organizational units via AWS Organizations. It eliminates the need for manual duplication or scripting that may break due to API inconsistencies or drift.
- Cross-account portfolio sharing ensures consistency, reduces human error, and offloads most operational burden to AWS native mechanisms.
- The end accounts can accept the shared portfolios and provision launches without having to recreate or maintain their own sets of portfolios.
- This also simplifies compliance and audit trails centrally.
The Trap (Distractor Analysis): #
-
Why not A?
While creating a CloudFormation template to deploy portfolios could reduce manual steps, AWS Service Catalog portfolios themselves are metadata-heavy and often not fully representable by just CFN templates alone. This approach requires additional scripting or manual effort to package and update portfolios continuously. -
Why not B?
Manual recreation is error-prone and scales poorly as the number of accounts grows. It violates operational efficiency principles and introduces risks of configuration drift. -
Why not C?
Although using a Lambda function with DescribePortfolio API might automate some aspects, this approach requires developing and maintaining custom automation scripts. It’s fragile to API changes and misses the opportunity to use first-class AWS Service Catalog sharing features purpose-built for this exact use case.
The Technical Blueprint #
# Example CLI command to share a portfolio with another AWS account
aws servicecatalog associate-product-with-portfolio \
--product-id prod-abc123xyz \
--portfolio-id port-xyz456abc \
--profile admin-account
# Associate the portfolio with an AWS account or organization:
aws servicecatalog create-portfolio-share \
--portfolio-id port-xyz456abc \
--account-id 123456789012
The Comparative Analysis #
| Option | Operational Overhead | Automation Level | Scalability & Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Medium | Medium (template-driven) | Moderate; requires maintenance |
| B | High | None | Poor; not scalable for many accounts |
| C | Medium-High | High (custom Lambda) | Fragile, requires ongoing dev support |
| D | Low | High (native sharing) | Excellent; built-in AWS support for cross-account governance |
Real-World Application (Practitioner Insight) #
Exam Rule #
“For the exam, always pick AWS Service Catalog portfolio sharing when you see multi-account infrastructure duplication.”
Real World #
“In reality, automation with Lambda or CloudFormation can complement portfolio sharing for initial setup or custom provisioning logic, but the primary replication method should leverage AWS native portfolio sharing features to ensure robustness and efficiency.”
(CTA) Stop Guessing, Start Mastering #
Disclaimer
This is a study note based on simulated scenarios for the SOA-C02 exam.