Quick Answer
The answer is Transition. In Amazon S3 Lifecycle policies, the Transition action moves objects between storage classes over time, while the Expiration action permanently deletes them. To ensure objects are moved to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 90 days without any risk of deletion, you configure a Transition rule specifying the target storage class and the number of days from object creation. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this distinction frequently appears in scenario-based questions where a candidate must choose between lifecycle actions—a common trap is confusing Expiration (which removes objects) with Transition (which only changes storage tier). Remember: Transition = tier change, Expiration = tombstone. A helpful memory tip is to think of “Trans” as in “transport” or “transfer”—you’re moving data to a colder home, not throwing it away.
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 is configuring an Amazon S3 lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 90 days. The bucket receives new objects daily. The engineer wants to ensure that objects are not deleted before 90 days. Which lifecycle action should be used?
Expiration
Why wrong: Expiration deletes objects, not transitions.
Transition
Transition moves objects to a different storage class.
NoncurrentVersionTransition
Why wrong: This is for noncurrent versions, not current objects.
AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload
Why wrong: This action aborts incomplete multipart uploads, not transitions.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Transition
Option B (Transition) is correct because the S3 Lifecycle Transition action moves objects between storage classes over time. To ensure objects are moved to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 90 days without deletion, a Transition rule is configured to specify the target storage class and the number of days from object creation.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Expiration
Why it's wrong here
Expiration deletes objects, not transitions.
Transition
Why this is correct
Transition moves objects to a different storage class.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
NoncurrentVersionTransition
Why it's wrong here
This is for noncurrent versions, not current objects.
AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload
Why it's wrong here
This action aborts incomplete multipart uploads, not transitions.
Common exam traps
The trap here is confusing Expiration (which deletes objects) with Transition (which moves objects to another storage class), leading candidates to select Expiration when the goal is to retain objects for a minimum period before moving them to archival storage.
Detailed technical explanation
S3 Lifecycle policies evaluate objects based on their creation date (or last modified date for current versions). The Transition action supports moving objects to colder storage tiers like S3 Glacier Deep Archive (90-day minimum storage duration) after a specified number of days. A common real-world scenario is cost optimization for infrequently accessed data, where objects are transitioned to cheaper storage without deletion, ensuring compliance with retention policies.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Transition — Option B (Transition) is correct because the S3 Lifecycle Transition action moves objects between storage classes over time. To ensure objects are moved to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 90 days without deletion, a Transition rule is configured to specify the target storage class and the number of days from object creation.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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