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Data Operations and Support →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question

This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. 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 S3 data lake with millions of objects. A data engineer needs to provide a daily report of objects that are not accessed for 90 days. The engineer must minimize cost and impact on performance. Which approach should be used?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

A
Enable S3 Inventory and query with Athena
Why wrong: Enabling S3 Inventory and querying with Athena can work, but it is more complex and costly than necessary for a daily report. S3 Storage Lens is a simpler, more cost-effective solution.
B
Use S3 Select on each object to check last access metadata
Why wrong: S3 Select is used for querying object content (e.g., CSV, JSON fields), not for checking metadata like last access time. This approach does not address the requirement.
C
Analyze S3 server access logs to find objects not accessed
Why wrong: S3 Server Access Logs record all requests, but analyzing them to find objects not accessed in 90 days requires processing large volumes of logs, which is costly and has performance overhead.
D
Use S3 Storage Lens to generate a dashboard of object age and last access
S3 Storage Lens provides a dashboard with free metrics such as 'Object Age' and 'Last Access Date', making it the most cost-effective and performant option for this use case.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use S3 Storage Lens to generate a dashboard of object age and last access

Option D is correct because S3 Storage Lens provides cost-effective analytics including last access date and object age, enabling identification of objects not accessed for 90 days without scanning all objects or incurring high costs. Option A is less suitable because S3 Inventory creates daily lists but requires additional Athena queries, adding complexity and cost. Option B is incorrect because S3 Select is designed for querying object content, not metadata; applying it to millions of objects would be highly inefficient and costly. Option C is incorrect because analyzing S3 server access logs would involve storing and querying large volumes of log data, which is costly and impacts performance, and it logs all requests rather than providing a direct last access timestamp.

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.

✗
Enable S3 Inventory and query with Athena
Why it's wrong here
Enabling S3 Inventory and querying with Athena can work, but it is more complex and costly than necessary for a daily report. S3 Storage Lens is a simpler, more cost-effective solution.
✗
Use S3 Select on each object to check last access metadata
Why it's wrong here
S3 Select is used for querying object content (e.g., CSV, JSON fields), not for checking metadata like last access time. This approach does not address the requirement.
✗
Analyze S3 server access logs to find objects not accessed
Why it's wrong here
S3 Server Access Logs record all requests, but analyzing them to find objects not accessed in 90 days requires processing large volumes of logs, which is costly and has performance overhead.
✓
Use S3 Storage Lens to generate a dashboard of object age and last access
Why this is correct
S3 Storage Lens provides a dashboard with free metrics such as 'Object Age' and 'Last Access Date', making it the most cost-effective and performant option for this use case.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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.

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

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DEA-C01 question test?

Data Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use S3 Storage Lens to generate a dashboard of object age and last access — Option D is correct because S3 Storage Lens provides cost-effective analytics including last access date and object age, enabling identification of objects not accessed for 90 days without scanning all objects or incurring high costs. Option A is less suitable because S3 Inventory creates daily lists but requires additional Athena queries, adding complexity and cost. Option B is incorrect because S3 Select is designed for querying object content, not metadata; applying it to millions of objects would be highly inefficient and costly. Option C is incorrect because analyzing S3 server access logs would involve storing and querying large volumes of log data, which is costly and impacts performance, and it logs all requests rather than providing a direct last access timestamp.

What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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