DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A data engineer needs to store semi-structured JSON data that is accessed infrequently but requires immediate retrieval when needed. The data must be durable and cost-effective. Which Amazon S3 storage class should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'infrequently accessed' with 'archival' and choose S3 Glacier, overlooking the 'immediate retrieval' requirement that rules out Glacier's multi-minute or multi-hour retrieval times.
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
✓
S3 Standard-IA
S3 Standard-IA is the correct choice because it offers the same durability and low-latency retrieval as S3 Standard but at a lower storage cost, making it ideal for infrequently accessed data that still needs immediate retrieval when requested. The scenario specifies 'infrequently accessed' and 'immediate retrieval,' which aligns with Standard-IA's design for data accessed less than once a month but with millisecond first-byte latency.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
S3 Standard-IA
Why this is correct
S3 Standard-IA suits infrequent access with immediate retrieval, satisfying the low-frequency, on-demand constraint. Its lower storage cost than S3 Standard meets cost-effectiveness, while replicating across a minimum of three Availability Zones preserves durability. Unlike Glacier classes, no retrieval delay applies, so JSON remains instantly available.
- ✗
S3 Glacier
Why it's wrong here
S3 Glacier retrieval takes minutes to hours, so it cannot satisfy the immediate-retrieval requirement despite its low cost for infrequent access. It is tempting because it is the cheapest archival tier, and would be correct for long-term backups where retrieval delays of hours are acceptable.
- ✗
S3 Standard
Why it's wrong here
S3 Standard charges full frequent-access rates, so it does not meet the cost-effectiveness requirement for infrequently accessed data. It is tempting because it delivers immediate retrieval and high durability, and would be correct when data is accessed frequently enough to justify its higher per-GB price.
- ✗
S3 One Zone-IA
Why it's wrong here
S3 One Zone-IA stores data in a single Availability Zone, so it does not meet the durability requirement that multi-AZ storage provides. It is tempting because it offers lower cost for infrequent access with immediate retrieval, and would be correct for reproducible data that can be regenerated if the zone fails.
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 |
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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.