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Question 473 of 1,040

Design Cost-Optimized Architectures →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to add a lifecycle rule that transitions backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval and retains them until day 90. This is correct because Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times ranging from minutes to a few hours, easily satisfying the 24-hour RTO, while providing massive cost savings over S3 Standard for rarely accessed data. The SAA-C03 exam frequently tests your ability to balance cost optimization with retrieval requirements, often using backup scenarios where Glacier Flexible Retrieval is the sweet spot—cheaper than Standard-IA but still fast enough for compliance. A common trap is choosing Glacier Deep Archive for even lower cost, but that fails the RTO since its retrieval can take up to 12 hours. Remember the memory tip: “Flexible fits the 24-hour window; Deep Archive is too deep for a day.”

SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question

This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized architectures. 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. A key principle to apply: s3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours.. 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 SaaS company uses an S3 bucket for database backups created daily. Backups are rarely restored; the company’s documented RTO is 24 hours, and the compliance policy requires backups be kept for 90 days. The team currently stores all backups in S3 Standard, which is costly.

Which single lifecycle policy change is most cost-optimized while still meeting the 24-hour RTO and 90-day retention?

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, and keep them until day 90.
Glacier Flexible Retrieval is intended for backups with infrequent access and supports restores within an RTO measured in hours.
B
Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, and keep them until day 90.
Why wrong: Instant Retrieval can meet the RTO but usually costs more than Flexible Retrieval for infrequent backups.
C
Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Deep Archive, and keep them until day 90 with no restore configuration.
Why wrong: Deep Archive restore times are typically longer and may conflict with a strict 24-hour RTO expectation.
D
Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 One Zone-IA, and delete them after 7 days.
Why wrong: One Zone-IA reduces cost but deletion after 7 days breaks the required 90-day retention.

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

✓

Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, and keep them until day 90.

Option A is correct because S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval provides retrieval times from minutes to hours, which meets the 24-hour RTO, and offers significant cost savings over S3 Standard for data that is rarely accessed. Transitioning backups older than 1 day to this storage class reduces costs while retaining them for the required 90-day compliance period.

Key principle: S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

✓
Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, and keep them until day 90.
Why this is correct
Glacier Flexible Retrieval is intended for backups with infrequent access and supports restores within an RTO measured in hours.
Related concept
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours.
✗
Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, and keep them until day 90.
Why it's wrong here
Instant Retrieval can meet the RTO but usually costs more than Flexible Retrieval for infrequent backups.
✗
Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Deep Archive, and keep them until day 90 with no restore configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Deep Archive restore times are typically longer and may conflict with a strict 24-hour RTO expectation.
✗
Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 One Zone-IA, and delete them after 7 days.
Why it's wrong here
One Zone-IA reduces cost but deletion after 7 days breaks the required 90-day retention.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may choose S3 Glacier Deep Archive for maximum cost savings without verifying that its retrieval time (12–48 hours) can exceed the 24-hour RTO, or they may overlook that S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is not the most cost-effective option for data that is restored only rarely.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval uses a retrieval process that can be expedited (1–5 minutes) or standard (3–5 hours), but the standard retrieval is sufficient for a 24-hour RTO. The lifecycle policy automates transitions based on object age, and the cost per GB for Glacier Flexible Retrieval is roughly 1/10th of S3 Standard, making it ideal for long-term archival of rarely accessed backups. Under the hood, S3 uses a background process to move objects between storage classes, and the transition does not affect the object's metadata or access permissions.

KKey Concepts to Remember

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours.
It is ideal for backups and archives that are rarely accessed.
Glacier Flexible Retrieval is significantly more cost-effective than S3 Standard.
It supports lifecycle policies for automated transitions and deletions.

TExam Day Tips

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

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours.

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.

Review s3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SAA-C03 question test?

Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, and keep them until day 90. — Option A is correct because S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval provides retrieval times from minutes to hours, which meets the 24-hour RTO, and offers significant cost savings over S3 Standard for data that is rarely accessed. Transitioning backups older than 1 day to this storage class reduces costs while retaining them for the required 90-day compliance period.

What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?

Review s3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

What is the key concept behind this question?

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times from minutes to hours.

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Same concept, more angles

2 more ways this is tested on SAA-C03

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. A SaaS company uses an S3 bucket for database backups created daily. Backups are rarely restored; the company’s documented RTO is 24 hours, and the compliance policy requires backups be kept for 90 days. The team currently stores all backups in S3 Standard, which is costly. Which single lifecycle policy change is most cost-optimized while still meeting the 24-hour RTO and 90-day retention?

medium

✓ A.Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, and keep them until day 90.
B.Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, and keep them until day 90.
C.Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 Glacier Deep Archive, and keep them until day 90 with no restore configuration.
D.Add a lifecycle rule to transition backups older than 1 day to S3 One Zone-IA, and delete them after 7 days.

Why A: Option A is correct because S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval offers retrieval times ranging from minutes to hours, which comfortably meets the 24-hour RTO, while providing significant cost savings over S3 Standard for data that is rarely accessed. Transitioning backups older than 1 day to this storage class reduces costs without compromising the 90-day retention requirement.

Variation 2. A company keeps daily database backups in an S3 bucket. They may restore from backups during the first 30 days if there is an issue. After 30 days, backups are rarely restored, but must be retained for 2 years. Which lifecycle strategy most cost-effectively meets these requirements?

easy

A.Delete backups after 30 days to avoid storage costs, since restores are rare.
B.Keep all backups in S3 Standard for the entire 2-year retention period.
✓ C.Use an S3 lifecycle policy to keep backups in S3 Standard for 30 days, then transition them to S3 Glacier Deep Archive for the remainder of the 2-year retention period.
D.Move backups to S3 Glacier Deep Archive immediately after creation, even for the first 30 days.

Why C: Option C is correct because it balances cost and compliance: backups are kept in S3 Standard for the first 30 days when restores are frequent, ensuring low-latency access, then transitioned to S3 Glacier Deep Archive for the remaining retention period. S3 Glacier Deep Archive offers the lowest storage cost (approximately $0.00099/GB/month) for long-term retention, and the lifecycle policy automates the transition without manual intervention. This approach minimizes storage costs while meeting the 2-year retention requirement.

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