DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A startup uses Amazon S3 to store user-uploaded images. The images are accessed frequently for the first week after upload, but after that they are rarely accessed. The company wants to optimize storage costs without compromising availability. The data engineer must implement a lifecycle policy to transition objects to a more cost-effective storage class after 30 days. The objects must be retrievable within minutes. Which storage class should the engineer transition the objects to?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'retrievable within minutes' with S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, overlooking that S3 Standard-IA also provides immediate access and is more cost-effective for data that is rarely accessed but not archival, especially with a 30-day transition window that avoids the 90-day minimum storage charge of Glacier Instant Retrieval.
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-Infrequent Access
S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA) is the correct choice because it offers a per-GB storage cost lower than S3 Standard while maintaining high durability (99.999999999%) and availability (99.9%), with retrieval times in milliseconds. The lifecycle policy transitions objects after 30 days, aligning with the access pattern where images are rarely accessed after the first week, and the requirement for retrieval within minutes is satisfied by S3 Standard-IA's instant 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.
- ✗
S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access
Why it's wrong here
Lower durability; suitable for non-critical data.
- ✗
S3 Standard
Why it's wrong here
Standard is more expensive for infrequently accessed data.
- ✓
S3 Standard-Infrequent Access
Why this is correct
Cost-effective for infrequent access with rapid retrieval.
- ✗
S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval
Why it's wrong here
Has a 90-day minimum storage charge; Standard-IA is better for 30-day transition.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on DEA-C01
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Variation 1. A data engineer needs to store large amounts of data that is accessed infrequently but must be retrieved immediately when needed. Which Amazon S3 storage class is most cost-effective?
easy- A.S3 Intelligent-Tiering
- B.S3 One Zone-IA
- ✓ C.S3 Standard-IA
- D.S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Why C: S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) is the most cost-effective choice because it offers low per-GB storage costs for data accessed infrequently, while still providing millisecond retrieval latency for immediate access when needed. This matches the requirement of storing large amounts of data that is rarely accessed but must be available instantly.
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.