Quick Answer
The answer is to set the expiration days to 1825. This is correct because the business requirement mandates retaining logs for at least 5 years, and 5 years equals 1,825 days (5 × 365). The current S3 lifecycle policy expiration is set to 365 days, which prematurely deletes objects under the 'logs/' prefix; extending the expiration to 1825 days ensures the lifecycle policy aligns with the retention requirement by delaying deletion until the full 5-year period has elapsed. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your ability to translate a business requirement into precise lifecycle policy configuration, often appearing as a calculation-based trap where candidates mistakenly use months or years without converting to days. A common pitfall is forgetting that S3 lifecycle expiration is always specified in days, not years. Memory tip: think "5 years = 1825 days" and remember that for log retention, you extend the expiration, not the transition.
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 reviewed the S3 lifecycle policy shown in the exhibit. The engineer notices that objects under the 'logs/' prefix are being deleted after 365 days. The business requirement is to retain logs for at least 5 years. What should the engineer change in the lifecycle policy?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Change the prefix to 'logs/archive/'
Why wrong: The prefix is not the issue.
Set the expiration days to 1825
1825 days equals 5 years.
Change the transition to GLACIER on day 365
Why wrong: Transition does not affect retention duration.
Remove the expiration action
Why wrong: Expiration is needed but with a longer period.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Set the expiration days to 1825
The business requirement is to retain logs for at least 5 years, which is 1,825 days (5 × 365). The current lifecycle policy sets expiration to 365 days, causing premature deletion. By setting the expiration days to 1,825, the S3 lifecycle policy will delete objects under the 'logs/' prefix only after 5 years, meeting the retention requirement.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Change the prefix to 'logs/archive/'
Why it's wrong here
The prefix is not the issue.
Set the expiration days to 1825
Why this is correct
1825 days equals 5 years.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Change the transition to GLACIER on day 365
Why it's wrong here
Transition does not affect retention duration.
Remove the expiration action
Why it's wrong here
Expiration is needed but with a longer period.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse transition actions (which change storage class) with expiration actions (which delete objects), or incorrectly assume that changing the prefix or removing expiration will meet the retention requirement without adjusting the day count.
Detailed technical explanation
S3 lifecycle expiration actions use the number of days since object creation (based on the LastModified timestamp) to determine when to delete objects. The value must be a positive integer representing days, and for a 5-year retention, 1,825 days is correct (accounting for leap years is not required by S3; it uses 365-day years). In real-world scenarios, if logs are written daily, setting expiration to 1,825 ensures each log file is deleted exactly 5 years after it was created, aligning with compliance requirements like SEC or HIPAA.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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FAQ
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Set the expiration days to 1825 — The business requirement is to retain logs for at least 5 years, which is 1,825 days (5 × 365). The current lifecycle policy sets expiration to 365 days, causing premature deletion. By setting the expiration days to 1,825, the S3 lifecycle policy will delete objects under the 'logs/' prefix only after 5 years, meeting the retention requirement.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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