This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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 designing a data lake on Amazon S3. Data is ingested from various sources, including IoT devices, and must be stored in a cost-effective manner. The data access patterns are unpredictable; some data is accessed frequently for a few days, then rarely accessed. The company wants to minimize storage costs while ensuring data is available within minutes when accessed. Which storage class should they use for the data?
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.
S3 Standard
Why wrong: Standard is expensive for data that becomes rarely accessed.
S3 Intelligent-Tiering
Automatically optimizes costs for unknown or changing access patterns, with millisecond retrieval.
S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Why wrong: Retrieval takes hours, not minutes.
S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access
Why wrong: Not resilient; data loss if AZ fails.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
S3 Intelligent-Tiering
Option D is correct because S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves data between frequent and infrequent access tiers based on usage patterns, with no retrieval charges for infrequent access, and data is available within milliseconds. Option A is wrong because S3 Standard is expensive for rarely accessed data. Option B is wrong because S3 Glacier Deep Archive has retrieval times of 12 hours. Option C is wrong because S3 One Zone-IA is not durable enough for a data lake.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
S3 Standard
Why it's wrong here
Standard is expensive for data that becomes rarely accessed.
S3 Intelligent-Tiering
Why this is correct
Automatically optimizes costs for unknown or changing access patterns, with millisecond retrieval.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Why it's wrong here
Retrieval takes hours, not minutes.
S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access
Why it's wrong here
Not resilient; data loss if AZ fails.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: S3 Intelligent-Tiering — Option D is correct because S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves data between frequent and infrequent access tiers based on usage patterns, with no retrieval charges for infrequent access, and data is available within milliseconds. Option A is wrong because S3 Standard is expensive for rarely accessed data. Option B is wrong because S3 Glacier Deep Archive has retrieval times of 12 hours. Option C is wrong because S3 One Zone-IA is not durable enough for a data lake.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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