SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question

A company uses Amazon S3 to store backups. The backup process uploads objects with a prefix 'backups/' and sets the storage class to STANDARD_IA. The company wants to automatically move objects older than 30 days to GLACIER. What is the most efficient way to achieve this?

⚠ Common exam trap

SAP-C02 often tests the difference between lifecycle policies and Intelligent-Tiering, and candidates may choose Intelligent-Tiering thinking it moves data to GLACIER, but it only moves between frequent and infrequent access tiers.

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

✓

Create an S3 Lifecycle rule that transitions objects with prefix 'backups/' to GLACIER after 30 days.

S3 Lifecycle rules are designed to automatically transition objects between storage classes based on age and prefix. Creating a rule that targets the 'backups/' prefix and transitions objects to GLACIER after 30 days is the most efficient, server-side, and cost-effective method. It requires no custom code or manual intervention.

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 an AWS Lambda function triggered by S3 events to change the storage class.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda runs only on S3 event notifications, which fire at upload time, so objects already older than 30 days are never transitioned; scheduled invocation would be needed. Lambda suits custom, event-driven object processing rather than lifecycle-based storage-class transitions.
✗
Use S3 Batch Operations to copy objects to a new bucket with GLACIER storage class.
Why it's wrong here
S3 Batch Operations performs a one-off or scheduled job against a manifest; it does not evaluate object age automatically as time passes. It suits bulk copying or tagging millions of existing objects in a controlled run, not continuous age-based transitions.
✓
Create an S3 Lifecycle rule that transitions objects with prefix 'backups/' to GLACIER after 30 days.
Why this is correct
S3 Lifecycle rules natively transition objects between storage classes based on age, so a rule scoped to the 'backups/' prefix moves them to GLACIER after 30 days without custom code or manual intervention. This is the most efficient mechanism for the stated transition.
✗
Enable S3 Intelligent-Tiering on the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Intelligent-Tiering moves objects between its own access tiers based on access patterns, and its archive tiers are not GLACIER storage classes. It suits unpredictable access patterns where automation of access-based tiering is wanted, not a fixed 30-day transition rule.

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

Go deeper

SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

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