- A
S3 Standard
S3 Standard is appropriate for frequently accessed data. It has no retrieval fees, making it cost-effective for logs accessed multiple times in the first 30 days. The lifecycle transition to Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days is seamless.
- B
S3 Standard-IA
Why wrong: S3 Standard-IA is designed for data accessed less frequently than once a month. Although it has lower storage costs, it charges retrieval fees and has a 30-day minimum storage duration. For frequently accessed logs, the retrieval fees and minimum charge make it more expensive than Standard.
- C
S3 One Zone-IA
Why wrong: S3 One Zone-IA is not suitable because it does not provide the durability and availability required for application logs, as it stores data in a single Availability Zone. Additionally, it incurs retrieval fees for frequent access.
- D
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval
Why wrong: S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is for archival data with retrieval times of minutes to hours. It is not appropriate for data that needs immediate access within the first 30 days.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 wants to store application logs in Amazon S3 with a lifecycle policy that moves objects to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days and deletes them after 1 year. The logs are accessed frequently in the first 30 days but rarely after. Which storage class should the company use for the first 30 days?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
S3 Standard
S3 Standard is the correct choice because the logs are accessed frequently during the first 30 days. Standard provides low-latency access with no retrieval fees, and the lifecycle policy can transition objects to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days. For data that is accessed multiple times within a short retention period, Standard is more cost-effective than Standard-IA, which incurs retrieval fees and a 30-day minimum storage charge.
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.
- ✓
S3 Standard
Why this is correct
S3 Standard is appropriate for frequently accessed data. It has no retrieval fees, making it cost-effective for logs accessed multiple times in the first 30 days. The lifecycle transition to Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days is seamless.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
S3 Standard-IA
Why it's wrong here
S3 Standard-IA is designed for data accessed less frequently than once a month. Although it has lower storage costs, it charges retrieval fees and has a 30-day minimum storage duration. For frequently accessed logs, the retrieval fees and minimum charge make it more expensive than Standard.
- ✗
S3 One Zone-IA
Why it's wrong here
S3 One Zone-IA is not suitable because it does not provide the durability and availability required for application logs, as it stores data in a single Availability Zone. Additionally, it incurs retrieval fees for frequent access.
- ✗
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval
Why it's wrong here
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is for archival data with retrieval times of minutes to hours. It is not appropriate for data that needs immediate access within the first 30 days.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The common trap is selecting S3 Standard-IA (Option B) due to its lower storage cost, but failing to account for retrieval fees and the 30-day minimum charge. For frequently accessed data with short retention, S3 Standard is more cost-effective.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 Standard-IA shares the same 99.99% availability and 99.999999999% durability as S3 Standard but has a per-GB retrieval fee, making it cost-effective for data accessed less than once per month on average. The lifecycle transition from Standard-IA to Glacier Instant Retrieval is a direct object transition that does not require any data movement or retrieval; it simply changes the storage class metadata, ensuring the logs remain immediately accessible after 30 days. In practice, this pattern is common for compliance-driven log retention where logs are audited within the first month and then retained for regulatory purposes.
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: S3 Standard — S3 Standard is the correct choice because the logs are accessed frequently during the first 30 days. Standard provides low-latency access with no retrieval fees, and the lifecycle policy can transition objects to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days. For data that is accessed multiple times within a short retention period, Standard is more cost-effective than Standard-IA, which incurs retrieval fees and a 30-day minimum storage charge.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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