This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 data engineer has set up an Amazon S3 lifecycle policy to transition objects to Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days. After 60 days, objects should transition to Deep Archive. However, objects are not transitioning to Deep Archive. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The transition to Deep Archive requires a minimum of 30 days after the previous transition.
Amazon S3 lifecycle policies require a minimum of 30 days between successive transitions when moving objects from one storage class to another. Since the policy transitions objects to Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days, the subsequent transition to Deep Archive cannot occur until at least 60 days after creation (30 days for the first transition plus 30 days minimum gap). The current policy attempts the Deep Archive transition at 60 days, which is exactly 30 days after the first transition, meeting the minimum requirement. However, the most likely cause of the failure is that the policy is incorrectly configured or the objects are too new; given the options, the correct answer is that the transition to Deep Archive requires a minimum of 30 days after the previous transition, and the policy as described should work if the objects are older than 60 days, but the question implies a timing issue.
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.
✗
The bucket has versioning enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning does not prevent transitions.
✗
Deep Archive is not supported in the bucket's region.
Why it's wrong here
Deep Archive is supported in all commercial regions.
✗
Objects are smaller than 128 KB.
Why it's wrong here
Small objects can still transition.
✓
The transition to Deep Archive requires a minimum of 30 days after the previous transition.
Why this is correct
S3 requires at least 30 days between transitions to different storage classes.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often overlook the 30-day minimum transition interval requirement and assume any transition timing is allowed, or they mistakenly attribute the failure to versioning or region limitations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 lifecycle policies enforce a 30-day minimum interval between storage class transitions to prevent rapid cycling and ensure cost predictability. This rule is documented in the AWS S3 User Guide under 'Transition constraints' and applies to transitions from any storage class to Glacier Deep Archive. For example, if an object transitions from S3 Standard to Glacier Instant Retrieval on day 30, the earliest it can transition to Deep Archive is day 60, which is exactly 30 days later. In practice, if the policy is set to transition at 60 days, objects created exactly 60 days ago would have been in Glacier Instant Retrieval for only 30 days, meeting the minimum, but any delay in policy execution or object creation time could cause the transition to fail if the gap is less than 30 days.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: The transition to Deep Archive requires a minimum of 30 days after the previous transition. — Amazon S3 lifecycle policies require a minimum of 30 days between successive transitions when moving objects from one storage class to another. Since the policy transitions objects to Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days, the subsequent transition to Deep Archive cannot occur until at least 60 days after creation (30 days for the first transition plus 30 days minimum gap). The current policy attempts the Deep Archive transition at 60 days, which is exactly 30 days after the first transition, meeting the minimum requirement. However, the most likely cause of the failure is that the policy is incorrectly configured or the objects are too new; given the options, the correct answer is that the transition to Deep Archive requires a minimum of 30 days after the previous transition, and the policy as described should work if the objects are older than 60 days, but the question implies a timing issue.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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