PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
A company is running a critical SAP HANA database on AWS. The database administrator wants to ensure that the SAP HANA backup files are stored in a secure, durable, and cost-effective manner. They need to retain backups for 7 years to meet compliance requirements. Which AWS service should be used for long-term backup storage?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse AWS Backup as a storage service rather than a backup orchestration service, leading them to select it for long-term storage instead of recognizing that S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the actual cost-effective storage tier for archival compliance.
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
✓
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the correct choice because it provides the lowest-cost storage for long-term retention of data that is accessed infrequently, with retrieval times of 12-48 hours. For a 7-year compliance retention requirement, this service offers secure, durable (99.999999999% durability), and cost-effective storage for SAP HANA backup files, which do not need immediate access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS Backup
Why it's wrong here
AWS Backup is a backup service, not a storage class for long-term archival.
- ✓
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Why this is correct
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class for long-term retention of data that is accessed rarely.
- ✗
Amazon EBS Snapshots
Why it's wrong here
EBS Snapshots are for block-level backups, not optimal for long-term compliance retention.
- ✗
Amazon S3 Standard
Why it's wrong here
Amazon S3 Standard is for frequently accessed data, not cost-effective for 7-year retention.
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 |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 exam.