DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A data engineer needs to store log files from multiple applications in a centralized location. The logs are generated in JSON format and each log entry is about 1 KB. The engineer needs to query the logs occasionally using SQL-like queries. Which AWS service is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates choose Amazon Redshift or RDS because they think 'SQL-like queries' require a traditional database, overlooking Athena's ability to query data directly in S3 without loading it, which is a key serverless pattern for log analytics.
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 Athena with data stored in S3
Amazon Athena is the most appropriate service because it allows you to query log files stored in S3 directly using standard SQL, without needing to load or transform the data. Since the logs are in JSON format and each entry is about 1 KB, Athena's schema-on-read approach works perfectly for occasional SQL-like queries, and you only pay for the data scanned per query, making it cost-effective for infrequent access.
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 DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is not designed for SQL queries on log data.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Overkill for occasional queries; requires loading data.
- ✓
Amazon Athena with data stored in S3
Why this is correct
Athena queries S3 data directly with SQL, suitable for occasional queries.
- ✗
Amazon RDS for MySQL
Why it's wrong here
Requires loading data into tables; not cost-effective for occasional queries.
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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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.