DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company needs to store archival logs that must be retained for 10 years. The logs are accessed infrequently, but when accessed, retrieval must occur within 12 hours. Which storage class is MOST cost-effective?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse retrieval time with cost, assuming that any class with faster retrieval is better, but the 12-hour retrieval window explicitly allows the use of the lowest-cost archival tier, making Glacier Deep Archive the correct choice despite its slower retrieval speed.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the most cost-effective storage class for archival logs that must be retained for 10 years with infrequent access and a 12-hour retrieval window. It offers the lowest storage cost among S3 classes, with retrieval times typically within 12 hours for standard retrievals, making it ideal for long-term archival data that is rarely accessed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Why this is correct
Glacier Deep Archive provides the lowest storage cost with retrieval times up to 12 hours.
- ✗
Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering
Why it's wrong here
Intelligent-Tiering incurs monitoring fees and is not optimal for data that is rarely accessed.
- ✗
Amazon S3 Standard
Why it's wrong here
S3 Standard is designed for frequent access, making it costly for archival data.
- ✗
Amazon S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access
Why it's wrong here
One Zone-IA is less durable and may have retrieval costs; not optimal for 10-year retention.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on DEA-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company needs to store log files from multiple applications in a centralized location. The logs are written once and accessed rarely after 30 days. The company must retain logs for 5 years. Which TWO actions meet these requirements cost-effectively?
easy- ✓ A.Configure a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days
- B.Configure a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 30 days
- ✓ C.Use S3 Intelligent-Tiering for automatic cost optimization
- D.Use S3 One Zone-IA for the first 30 days, then delete
- E.Store all logs in S3 Standard
Why A: S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class for data that is accessed rarely, with retrieval times of 12 hours or more, making it ideal for logs that are rarely accessed after 30 days. A lifecycle policy transitions objects from a higher-cost class (e.g., S3 Standard) to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days, meeting the 5-year retention requirement cost-effectively.
Variation 2. A data engineer needs to store archival data that is rarely accessed but must be retained for 7 years. The data should be retrievable within 12 hours. Which Amazon S3 storage class is MOST cost-effective?
easy- A.S3 Intelligent-Tiering
- B.S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval
- C.S3 Standard
- ✓ D.S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Why D: S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the most cost-effective storage class for archival data that is rarely accessed and requires a 7-year retention period, with retrieval times up to 12 hours. It offers the lowest storage cost among S3 classes, making it ideal for long-term retention of data that does not need immediate access.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DEA-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DEA-C01 exam.