SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company uses Amazon S3 to store critical data. They need to ensure that data is automatically replicated to another AWS Region for disaster recovery. Which configuration meets this requirement with minimal operational overhead?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAP-C02 often tests whether candidates confuse Versioning (same-Region durability) with CRR (cross-Region DR), so picking Versioning when the question explicitly says 'another AWS Region' is the classic wrong-answer trap.
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
✓
Enable S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) on the source bucket.
S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) is the native S3 feature that asynchronously replicates objects from a source bucket in one Region to a destination bucket in another Region. Once configured with a replication rule and the required IAM role, new objects are copied automatically with no ongoing operational effort. This satisfies the disaster-recovery requirement with minimal overhead.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable S3 Versioning on the source bucket.
Why it's wrong here
S3 Versioning only retains multiple variants of an object in the same bucket; it performs no cross-Region copy. It is tempting because versioning underpins replication and protects against overwrites, and it would be the correct choice when the requirement is recovery from accidental deletion or overwrite within one Region.
- ✗
Use S3 Transfer Acceleration to upload objects to both Regions.
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration speeds uploads to a single bucket via edge locations; it does not copy objects into a second Region. It is tempting because it improves upload performance across distances, and it would be the correct choice when the requirement is faster long-distance uploads rather than disaster-recovery replication.
- ✗
Configure an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier.
Why it's wrong here
Lifecycle transitions move objects to Glacier storage classes within the same Region; they never replicate data across Regions. It is tempting because lifecycle policies do automate storage management, but that automation targets storage-class tiering for cost, not cross-Region durability. Cross-Region Replication is the mechanism that copies objects to a second Region.
- ✓
Enable S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) on the source bucket.
Why this is correct
S3 Cross-Region Replication asynchronously copies objects to a bucket in another Region, satisfying the disaster-recovery constraint. Once configured on the source bucket with versioning and an IAM role, AWS handles ongoing replication, requiring minimal operational overhead.
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
Related to this question
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.