Quick Answer
The answer is to transition objects to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days and implement lifecycle policies to automate that transition. These two actions directly reduce costs for infrequently accessed data because S3 Standard-IA offers a lower storage price than S3 Standard in exchange for a retrieval fee, making it ideal for data accessed less than once a quarter. Lifecycle policies are the automated mechanism that moves objects between storage classes without manual intervention, ensuring cost savings scale effortlessly. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of S3 storage class optimization and the common trap of confusing cost-reduction features with data-protection features like versioning or replication, which actually increase costs. Remember the memory tip: “IA for infrequent, lifecycle for lazy” — Standard-IA cuts storage bills, and lifecycle rules do the work for you.
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.
Which TWO actions can reduce the cost of an Amazon S3 bucket that stores infrequently accessed data? (Choose 2.)
Enable cross-region replication
Why wrong: Replication increases costs.
Enable versioning to keep multiple versions
Why wrong: Versioning increases costs.
Use lifecycle policies to expire objects after a certain period
Expiration deletes unneeded objects.
Enable MFA Delete for extra security
Why wrong: MFA Delete does not reduce cost.
Transition objects to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days
Standard-IA is cheaper for infrequent access.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use lifecycle policies to expire objects after a certain period
Options A and C are correct because transitioning to S3 Standard-IA reduces cost for infrequent access, and lifecycle policies automatically transition objects. Option B is wrong because enabling versioning increases storage costs. Option D is wrong because MFA Delete does not affect storage cost. Option E is wrong because cross-region replication incurs additional costs.
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.
Enable cross-region replication
Why it's wrong here
Replication increases costs.
Enable versioning to keep multiple versions
Why it's wrong here
Versioning increases costs.
Use lifecycle policies to expire objects after a certain period
Why this is correct
Expiration deletes unneeded objects.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Enable MFA Delete for extra security
Why it's wrong here
MFA Delete does not reduce cost.
Transition objects to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days
Why this is correct
Standard-IA is cheaper for infrequent access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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.
Data Store Management — study guide chapter
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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: Use lifecycle policies to expire objects after a certain period — Options A and C are correct because transitioning to S3 Standard-IA reduces cost for infrequent access, and lifecycle policies automatically transition objects. Option B is wrong because enabling versioning increases storage costs. Option D is wrong because MFA Delete does not affect storage cost. Option E is wrong because cross-region replication incurs additional costs.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO actions can help optimize Amazon S3 storage costs for a data lake? (Choose two.)
mediumWhy B: S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves objects between two access tiers (frequent and infrequent) when access patterns change, with no retrieval fees and a small monthly monitoring fee. This is ideal for a data lake where access patterns are unpredictable, as it optimizes costs without requiring manual lifecycle rule adjustments.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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