SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question

Exhibit

{
  "LifecycleRule": {
    "Status": "Enabled",
    "Filter": { "Prefix": "logs/" },
    "Transitions": [
      {
        "Days": 30,
        "StorageClass": "INTELLIGENT_TIERING"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Refer to the exhibit. An S3 bucket contains millions of small log files. The requirements state that data must be moved to a cheaper storage class after 30 days. The exhibit shows a lifecycle policy. Why might this configuration be sub-optimal for cost?

⚠ Common exam trap

SAA-C03 often tests the misconception that Intelligent-Tiering is a universal cost-saver, when in fact its per-object monitoring fee makes it uneconomical for large volumes of small objects.

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

✓

Monitoring fees for Intelligent-Tiering may outweigh savings for millions of small files.

S3 Intelligent-Tiering charges a per-object monitoring and automation fee (currently $0.0025 per 1,000 objects per month) on top of storage costs. With millions of small log files, this monitoring overhead can easily exceed the storage savings from automatic tier transitions, making it economically sub-optimal compared to a simple lifecycle transition rule to Standard-IA or Glacier.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
Intelligent-Tiering is only supported for objects larger than 128 KB.
Why it's wrong here
Intelligent-Tiering does not have a hard requirement for object size, though very small objects may not benefit from storage class transitions as much as larger ones. The primary issue here is the cost structure of the monitoring fees when applied to a very high volume of individual objects.
✗
The lifecycle rule should use S3 Glacier Deep Archive instead of Intelligent-Tiering.
Why it's wrong here
While Deep Archive is cheaper for storage, it is intended for long-term archival with retrieval times of hours. If the logs need to be accessed occasionally for troubleshooting, Deep Archive would be too slow. The issue in the exhibit is the monitoring fee for millions of files in Intelligent-Tiering.
✓
Monitoring fees for Intelligent-Tiering may outweigh savings for millions of small files.
Why this is correct
S3 Intelligent-Tiering charges a small monthly monitoring and automation fee per object. When applied to millions of tiny log files, these fees aggregate significantly. If the access patterns are predictable, using a different storage class like S3 Standard-IA avoids these per-object monitoring costs, resulting in lower total expenditure.
✗
The prefix filter is too broad and will include active logs.
Why it's wrong here
The prefix 'logs/' is a standard practice for grouping objects. Assuming the application writes logs to this path, the lifecycle rule correctly targets them. The prefix itself does not cause cost inefficiencies; the cost issue stems from the choice of storage class and the volume of small objects.

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

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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint

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