The answer is to stream logs to Amazon S3 using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, then apply S3 Lifecycle policies to transition objects to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days. This is the most cost-effective long term log storage on AWS because it balances low initial write costs with reduced storage fees for infrequently accessed data, while still allowing occasional queries without retrieval delays. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to optimize storage costs by matching access patterns to the right S3 tier, often appearing as a trap where candidates choose CloudWatch Logs for convenience—forgetting its high per-GB ingestion and long-term retention costs. A common memory tip is “Firehose to IA, then let Lifecycle play”—remember that for logs you need to query, Standard-IA is the sweet spot, not Glacier or Intelligent-Tiering, which can add monitoring overhead.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
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 needs to store application logs for at least one year with the ability to query them occasionally. The logs are generated at a rate of 10 GB per day. Which storage solution is MOST cost-effective?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Stream logs to Amazon S3 using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, then use S3 Lifecycle policies to transition to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days.
Amazon S3 with S3 Intelligent-Tiering or S3 Standard-IA is cost-effective for infrequent access. Option A (CloudWatch Logs) is expensive for long-term storage. Option C (S3 Glacier) has retrieval delays. Option D (EBS) is not suitable for logs.
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.
✗
Store logs on Amazon EBS volumes attached to a single EC2 instance for querying.
Why it's wrong here
EBS is not designed for log archival and is costly for large volumes.
✓
Stream logs to Amazon S3 using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, then use S3 Lifecycle policies to transition to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days.
Why this is correct
S3 Standard-IA offers lower cost for infrequent access with retrieval available.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Store logs in Amazon S3 Glacier and use S3 Select to query directly.
Why it's wrong here
Glacier has retrieval delays (minutes to hours) unsuitable for occasional queries.
✗
Stream logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs and set a retention policy of 365 days.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs is more expensive than S3 for long-term storage.
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 SAP-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.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Stream logs to Amazon S3 using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, then use S3 Lifecycle policies to transition to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days. — Amazon S3 with S3 Intelligent-Tiering or S3 Standard-IA is cost-effective for infrequent access. Option A (CloudWatch Logs) is expensive for long-term storage. Option C (S3 Glacier) has retrieval delays. Option D (EBS) is not suitable for logs.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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