This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 needs to store semi-structured JSON files that are accessed infrequently but must be retrievable within minutes. The data is immutable and must be stored cost-effectively. Which AWS service should the engineer use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon S3 with S3 Standard-IA storage class
Amazon S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) is designed for data that is accessed less frequently but requires rapid retrieval when needed, with retrieval times in milliseconds. It offers lower storage costs than S3 Standard while maintaining high durability and availability, making it ideal for storing immutable semi-structured JSON files that must be retrievable within minutes. The service is cost-effective for infrequently accessed data because it charges a retrieval fee per GB, but the storage price is significantly lower than standard tiers.
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.
✗
Amazon DynamoDB with on-demand capacity
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is a NoSQL database for structured data with low-latency access, not cost-effective for infrequent access of JSON blobs.
✗
Amazon EBS with gp3 volume
Why it's wrong here
EBS provides block storage for EC2 instances, not suitable for direct JSON storage and retrieval by applications.
✓
Amazon S3 with S3 Standard-IA storage class
Why this is correct
S3 is designed for object storage, supports JSON, and Standard-IA is cost-effective for infrequent access with millisecond retrieval.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL with JSONB data type
Why it's wrong here
RDS is a relational database, more expensive and complex for simple immutable JSON storage.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'infrequently accessed' with 'archival' and choose Glacier or Deep Archive, but the requirement for retrieval within minutes eliminates those options, while DynamoDB or RDS seem plausible for JSON but are not cost-effective for immutable, infrequently accessed data.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 Standard-IA stores data on the same highly durable infrastructure as S3 Standard but with a lower storage price and a per-GB retrieval fee to offset the cost of maintaining rapid access. Under the hood, S3 uses a distributed key-value store with 99.999999999% durability (11 9's) and automatically replicates objects across multiple Availability Zones. A real-world scenario is storing historical application logs in JSON format that must be available for compliance audits within minutes but are rarely accessed after the first 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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: Amazon S3 with S3 Standard-IA storage class — Amazon S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) is designed for data that is accessed less frequently but requires rapid retrieval when needed, with retrieval times in milliseconds. It offers lower storage costs than S3 Standard while maintaining high durability and availability, making it ideal for storing immutable semi-structured JSON files that must be retrievable within minutes. The service is cost-effective for infrequently accessed data because it charges a retrieval fee per GB, but the storage price is significantly lower than standard tiers.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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