- A
Store logs on Amazon EBS volumes attached to a single EC2 instance for querying.
Why wrong: EBS is not designed for log archival and is costly for large volumes.
- B
Stream logs to Amazon S3 using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, then use S3 Lifecycle policies to transition to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days.
S3 Standard-IA offers lower cost for infrequent access with retrieval available.
- C
Store logs in Amazon S3 Glacier and use S3 Select to query directly.
Why wrong: Glacier has retrieval delays (minutes to hours) unsuitable for occasional queries.
- D
Stream logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs and set a retention policy of 365 days.
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs is more expensive than S3 for long-term storage.
Question 1,211 of 1,746
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 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
✓
Stream logs to Amazon S3 using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, then use S3 Lifecycle policies to transition to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days.
Option B is correct because Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose can stream logs directly to Amazon S3, and S3 Lifecycle policies allow automatic transition to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days, which reduces storage costs for infrequently accessed data while still allowing occasional queries. This combination meets the one-year retention requirement cost-effectively, as S3 Standard-IA has lower storage costs than S3 Standard for data accessed less frequently, and the lifecycle transition avoids manual intervention.
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
The trap here is that candidates often choose CloudWatch Logs (Option D) because it seems like the natural logging service, but they overlook the high cost of storing large volumes of log data for a year in CloudWatch Logs compared to S3 with lifecycle transitions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 Lifecycle policies use a transition action that moves objects between storage classes based on age, and the 30-day minimum for S3 Standard-IA ensures cost savings without incurring early deletion fees. Under the hood, S3 Standard-IA has a per-GB retrieval fee, but for occasional queries, this is negligible compared to the storage cost savings over S3 Standard. A real-world scenario where this matters is a company with compliance requirements for log retention — using S3 Lifecycle policies automates tiering, reducing manual effort and ensuring data is always in the most cost-effective class based on access patterns.
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.
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
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.
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 |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
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. — Option B is correct because Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose can stream logs directly to Amazon S3, and S3 Lifecycle policies allow automatic transition to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days, which reduces storage costs for infrequently accessed data while still allowing occasional queries. This combination meets the one-year retention requirement cost-effectively, as S3 Standard-IA has lower storage costs than S3 Standard for data accessed less frequently, and the lifecycle transition avoids manual intervention.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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