The most cost-effective solution is to export old records using pg_dump and store them in S3 Glacier Deep Archive. This approach directly addresses the need for cost-effective archiving of RDS old records to S3 Glacier Deep Archive because Glacier Deep Archive offers the lowest storage cost for long-term retention, making it ideal for compliance-driven 7-year archival where data is never accessed. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of lifecycle management and storage tier optimization—specifically that archiving within RDS still incurs storage costs, while exporting to S3 Glacier Deep Archive eliminates those costs entirely. A common trap is choosing S3 Standard for compliance retention, but remember that Glacier Deep Archive is roughly 10x cheaper for infrequently accessed data. Memory tip: “Dump to Deep” — when old records must be retained but never touched, dump them out of RDS and into the deepest, cheapest archive tier.
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 company has an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance with a large table that is frequently updated. The data engineer needs to reduce storage costs by archiving old records that are no longer accessed. The archived records must be retained for 7 years due to compliance requirements. Which solution is MOST cost-effective?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Export old records using pg_dump and store in S3 Glacier Deep Archive.
Using pg_dump to export old records and store them in S3 Glacier Deep Archive is cost-effective because Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage for long-term archival. Option A is wrong because enabling storage autoscaling doesn't archive data. Option B is wrong because archiving within RDS still incurs storage costs. Option D is wrong because S3 Standard is more expensive than Glacier Deep Archive for long-term retention.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use RDS native backup and restore to keep a separate backup.
Why it's wrong here
Backups incur costs and don't remove data from the live database.
✓
Export old records using pg_dump and store in S3 Glacier Deep Archive.
Why this is correct
This offloads old data to low-cost archival storage.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Enable storage autoscaling on the RDS instance.
Why it's wrong here
Autoscaling increases storage, doesn't archive.
✗
Move old records to a separate table in the same RDS instance.
Why it's wrong here
Still incurs storage costs on RDS.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DEA-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Export old records using pg_dump and store in S3 Glacier Deep Archive. — Using pg_dump to export old records and store them in S3 Glacier Deep Archive is cost-effective because Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage for long-term archival. Option A is wrong because enabling storage autoscaling doesn't archive data. Option B is wrong because archiving within RDS still incurs storage costs. Option D is wrong because S3 Standard is more expensive than Glacier Deep Archive for long-term retention.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DEA-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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