Week 8 Worklog

Week 8 Objectives:

  • Cost Optimization: Master cost-saving pricing models such as Savings Plans and Reserved Instances (RI) for EC2 and RDS.
  • Resource Optimization: Use AWS Compute Optimizer and CloudWatch to identify and right-size resources.
  • Cost Management & Visualization: Analyze detailed cost reports using AWS Cost Explorer and understand data transfer costs.
  • Knowledge Assessment: Complete a midterm exam simulating the AWS Certified Solutions Architect certification.

Tasks to be carried out this week:

DayTaskStart DateCompletion DateReference Material
2Cost Saving Models
- Learn and differentiate between Savings Plans (Compute/EC2) and Reserved Instances.
- Analyze Savings Plan Recommendations.
- Practice purchasing Savings Plans and Reserved DB Instances.		10/27/202510/27/2025https://000042.awsstudygroup.com/
3Resource Optimization (Right Sizing)
- Install CloudWatch Agent to collect memory (RAM) metrics.
- Configure IAM Role for CloudWatch and Compute Optimizer.
- Use AWS Compute Optimizer to receive recommendations for optimal instance types.
- Apply EC2 Resource Optimization Best Practices.		10/28/202510/28/2025https://000032.awsstudygroup.com/
4Basic Cost Visualization & Analysis
- Use Cost Explorer to view costs by Service and Account.
- Monitor Coverage and Utilization of Savings Plan/RI.
- Analyze infrastructure Elasticity.		10/29/202510/29/2025https://000034.awsstudygroup.com/
5Advanced Cost Analysis & Review
- Create Custom Reports for EC2.
- Analyze Data Transfer costs.
- Additional Research: Set up AWS Cost & Usage Report (CUR) and query with Amazon Athena (Theory).
- Systematize knowledge from the past 8 weeks to prepare for the exam.		10/30/202510/30/2025https://000034.awsstudygroup.com/

SAA Knowledge Review
6Midterm Exam
- Complete the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03) practice exam.
- Format: 65 multiple-choice questions / 130 minutes.
- Content covered: IAM, VPC, EC2, S3, RDS, HA/Scaling, Cost Optimization.
- Evaluate results and review knowledge gaps.		10/31/202510/31/2025AWS SAA Practice Exam

Week 8 Achievements

Cost Optimization Strategy

  • Mastered the differences between Savings Plans (more flexible) and Reserved Instances (traditional), enabling informed purchasing decisions for each workload type.
  • Learned to use the Recommendations tool to identify optimal cost commitment levels based on usage history.
  • Successfully applied Reserved Instances to RDS databases to reduce long-term operational costs.

System Resource Optimization

  • Successfully deployed CloudWatch Agent to collect custom metrics (such as Memory usage) that CloudWatch doesn’t provide by default, enabling accurate instance performance assessment.
  • Used AWS Compute Optimizer to identify over-provisioned or under-provisioned resources and performed appropriate Right Sizing adjustments.

Cloud Financial Management (FinOps)

  • Mastered AWS Cost Explorer to visualize cash flow and usage costs by day, month, or specific services.
  • Created Custom Reports to track Data Transfer costs - a hidden cost that is often overlooked.
  • Understood how to monitor Savings Plan/RI effectiveness through Coverage and Utilization charts.

Competency Assessment (Midterm)

  • Completed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect simulation exam.
  • Reviewed all foundational knowledge across the 4 main pillars: Compute, Storage, Networking, and Database.
  • Identified weak points that need improvement in the following weeks (e.g., Hybrid Cloud scenarios or Advanced Networking).