DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company stores IoT sensor data in an Amazon S3 bucket. The data is ingested every minute and each object is about 10 KB. The data must be stored for at least 7 years for compliance. Which lifecycle policy configuration minimizes storage costs?
⚠ Common exam trap
The DEA-C01 exam often tests the misconception that using multiple intermediate transitions (e.g., Standard-IA then Glacier) is always more cost-effective, but for long-term archival of small objects, the cheapest path is to go directly to the lowest-cost storage class as soon as the minimum transition period allows.
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
✓
Transition to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days and expire after 2555 days.
S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class for long-term archival data, and transitioning directly after 30 days minimizes costs for 10 KB objects that are accessed infrequently. The 2555-day expiration (7 years) meets the compliance requirement. Other options incur higher costs by using more expensive intermediate tiers or by delaying the transition to the cheapest storage class.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Transition to S3 One Zone-IA after 30 days, then to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 365 days, and expire after 2555 days.
Why it's wrong here
One Zone-IA is not suitable for compliance due to lack of durability.
- ✗
Transition to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 90 days and expire after 2555 days.
Why it's wrong here
Glacier Flexible Retrieval is more expensive than Deep Archive for long-term storage.
- ✓
Transition to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days and expire after 2555 days.
Why this is correct
This minimizes cost by moving to the cheapest storage class early and retaining for 7 years.
- ✗
Transition to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days, then to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 365 days, and expire after 2555 days.
Why it's wrong here
Keeping in Standard-IA for 1 year is more expensive than transitioning earlier.
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 |
Go deeper
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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.