The answer is S3 Glacier Deep Archive combined with a lifecycle policy. This is correct because Glacier Deep Archive offers the lowest storage cost for data accessed rarely, with retrieval times of 12 hours or more, making it ideal for log files that are written once and accessed rarely after 30 days. A lifecycle rule automatically transitions objects from a higher-cost class like S3 Standard to Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days, meeting the 5-year retention requirement cost-effectively. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cost-optimized S3 storage classes for log archival, often appearing as a two-part answer requiring both the correct storage class and a lifecycle policy. A common trap is choosing S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, which costs more than Deep Archive for truly rare access. Memory tip: think “Deep for deep-freeze logs” — if you can wait 12 hours, Deep Archive is the cheapest.
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
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?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days
Option A is correct because 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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Configure a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days
Why this is correct
Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class for long-term retention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 30 days
Why it's wrong here
Flexible Retrieval is more expensive than Deep Archive for data accessed rarely.
✓
Use S3 Intelligent-Tiering for automatic cost optimization
Why this is correct
Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves data to lower-cost tiers after 30 days.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use S3 One Zone-IA for the first 30 days, then delete
Why it's wrong here
One Zone-IA is not recommended for data that needs to be retained for 5 years.
✗
Store all logs in S3 Standard
Why it's wrong here
S3 Standard is cost-prohibitive for 5-year retention of rarely accessed data.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the distinction between S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval and S3 Glacier Deep Archive, where candidates mistakenly choose the former for rarely accessed data due to familiarity, ignoring the cost savings of the latter for deep archival use cases.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 Glacier Deep Archive has a retrieval time of 12 hours (standard) or 48 hours (bulk) and a minimum storage duration of 180 days, which aligns with long-term archival needs. Lifecycle policies evaluate objects based on age and can transition them automatically, but note that objects must be at least 30 days old before transitioning to S3 Glacier Deep Archive due to the 30-day minimum for transitions from S3 Standard. In practice, you might also consider using S3 Object Lock for compliance to prevent deletion or modification during the 5-year retention period.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days — Option A is correct because 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.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 data engineer needs to store log files from multiple applications in a central S3 bucket. The logs must be stored cost-effectively for long-term retention (7 years). The logs are accessed infrequently after the first 30 days. Which storage class should the engineer use for objects older than 30 days?
easy
A.S3 Glacier Deep Archive
B.S3 Standard
C.S3 One Zone-IA
✓ D.S3 Standard-IA
Why D: D is correct because S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) is designed for data accessed less frequently but requires rapid access when needed, with a lower storage cost than S3 Standard and a 30-day minimum storage duration charge. After the first 30 days, logs are infrequently accessed, making Standard-IA the most cost-effective option that still provides millisecond first-byte latency for occasional retrieval needs over the 7-year retention period.
Variation 2. 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?
easy
✓ A.Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive
B.Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering
C.Amazon S3 Standard
D.Amazon S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access
Why A: Option D is correct because S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class with retrieval times within 12 hours. Option A is wrong because S3 Standard is expensive for long-term archival. Option B is wrong because S3 Intelligent-Tiering is designed for unknown access patterns, not pure archival. Option C is wrong because S3 One Zone-IA is less durable and not cost-effective for 10-year retention due to frequent access fees if retrieved.
Variation 3. 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: Option C is correct because Glacier Deep Archive is the cheapest storage class with retrieval within 12 hours. Option A (Standard) is expensive. Option B (Glacier Flexible Retrieval) is more expensive. Option D (Intelligent-Tiering) may not archive automatically.
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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.
Question Discussion
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