The correct answer is to use S3 Lifecycle policies to transition logs to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days, then to S3 Glacier after one year, while never deleting them before the seven-year compliance window. This works because S3 Lifecycle policies automate cost optimization by moving data to progressively cheaper storage tiers as access patterns change—Standard-IA reduces costs for rarely accessed data, while Glacier provides the lowest-cost long-term retention for compliance logs. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of balancing durability, availability, and cost; a common trap is choosing S3 One Zone-IA, which lacks the multi-AZ durability required for compliance data, or selecting deletion after 30 days, which violates retention rules. Remember the mnemonic “30-1-7” for the timeline: transition at 30 days, archive at 1 year, retain for 7 years.
DVA-C02 Troubleshooting and Optimization Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting and optimization. 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 is using Amazon S3 to store log files. The logs are rarely accessed after 30 days but must be retained for 7 years for compliance. Which THREE actions should the company take to optimize storage costs?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier after 1 year.
Option A is correct because transitioning to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days reduces cost for infrequent access. Option B is correct because transitioning to S3 Glacier after 1 year reduces cost for long-term retention. Option D is correct because lifecycle policies automate transitions. Option C is wrong because S3 One Zone-IA is not durable enough for compliance. Option E is wrong because deleting after 30 days violates retention requirement.
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.
✗
Use S3 Lifecycle policy to delete objects after 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting early violates retention requirement.
✗
Store objects in S3 One Zone-IA from the start.
Why it's wrong here
One Zone-IA is not durable for compliance.
✓
Use S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier after 1 year.
Why this is correct
Glacier is low-cost for archival.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Enable S3 Lifecycle policy to expire objects after 7 years.
Why this is correct
Expiration deletes objects automatically.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days.
Why this is correct
Standard-IA is cost-effective for infrequent access.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DVA-C02 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.
Troubleshooting and Optimization — This question tests Troubleshooting and Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier after 1 year. — Option A is correct because transitioning to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days reduces cost for infrequent access. Option B is correct because transitioning to S3 Glacier after 1 year reduces cost for long-term retention. Option D is correct because lifecycle policies automate transitions. Option C is wrong because S3 One Zone-IA is not durable enough for compliance. Option E is wrong because deleting after 30 days violates retention requirement.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which DVA-C02 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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This DVA-C02 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 DVA-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
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