← SOA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 1,199 of 1,546

Cost and Performance Optimization →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is DynamoDB Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) because it is the table class specifically designed to minimize storage costs for data that is accessed infrequently—such as historical records—while still delivering consistent single-digit millisecond latency for queries. Standard-IA achieves this by charging a lower per-GB storage rate than DynamoDB Standard, making it ideal for tables accessed less than once per month, exactly matching the scenario of historical data with rare but performance-sensitive queries. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to differentiate between DynamoDB table classes based on access patterns; a common trap is choosing DynamoDB Standard out of habit, forgetting that Standard-IA exists for cost optimization without sacrificing latency. A useful memory tip is to think “IA = Infrequent Access = Ideal for Archives,” linking the class name directly to its cost-saving purpose for cold data.

SOA-C02 Cost and Performance Optimization Practice Question

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cost and performance optimization. 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 has an Amazon DynamoDB table that stores historical data. The table is accessed infrequently but when queried requires consistent single-digit millisecond latency. The SysOps administrator wants to minimize storage costs while maintaining the required performance. Which DynamoDB table class should the administrator use?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
DynamoDB Standard
Why wrong: Standard class is optimized for frequently accessed data and has higher storage costs than Standard-IA, making it less cost-effective for infrequent access.
B
DynamoDB Standard-IA (Infrequent Access)
Standard-IA reduces storage costs for infrequently accessed tables while maintaining single-digit millisecond latency, fitting the use case perfectly.
C
DynamoDB On-Demand
Why wrong: On-Demand mode charges per request and may be cost-effective for very sparse workloads, but for predictable infrequent access, Standard-IA provides lower overall cost.
D
DynamoDB Provisioned
Why wrong: Provisioned capacity requires capacity planning and may lead to over-provisioning or under-provisioning costs; it is not specifically designed to minimize storage costs for infrequent access.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

DynamoDB Standard-IA (Infrequent Access)

DynamoDB Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) is designed for tables that are accessed less than once per month, offering lower storage costs than DynamoDB Standard while maintaining the same single-digit millisecond latency for queries. Since the table stores historical data with infrequent access but requires consistent performance, Standard-IA minimizes storage costs without sacrificing latency.

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.

✗
DynamoDB Standard
Why it's wrong here
Standard class is optimized for frequently accessed data and has higher storage costs than Standard-IA, making it less cost-effective for infrequent access.
✓
DynamoDB Standard-IA (Infrequent Access)
Why this is correct
Standard-IA reduces storage costs for infrequently accessed tables while maintaining single-digit millisecond latency, fitting the use case perfectly.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
DynamoDB On-Demand
Why it's wrong here
On-Demand mode charges per request and may be cost-effective for very sparse workloads, but for predictable infrequent access, Standard-IA provides lower overall cost.
✗
DynamoDB Provisioned
Why it's wrong here
Provisioned capacity requires capacity planning and may lead to over-provisioning or under-provisioning costs; it is not specifically designed to minimize storage costs for infrequent access.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is confusing DynamoDB table classes (Standard vs Standard-IA) with billing modes (On-Demand vs Provisioned), leading candidates to choose a billing mode instead of the correct table class for storage cost optimization.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

DynamoDB Standard-IA uses the same storage engine as Standard but with a lower storage price ($0.10 per GB-month vs $0.25 per GB-month) and a slightly higher read/write request cost to offset the storage discount. This trade-off is ideal for tables where storage footprint dominates costs, such as historical logs or archived data, and the single-digit millisecond latency is preserved because the underlying SSD-based storage and indexing are identical.

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.

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 SOA-C02 question test?

Cost and Performance Optimization — This question tests Cost and Performance Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: DynamoDB Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) — DynamoDB Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) is designed for tables that are accessed less than once per month, offering lower storage costs than DynamoDB Standard while maintaining the same single-digit millisecond latency for queries. Since the table stores historical data with infrequent access but requires consistent performance, Standard-IA minimizes storage costs without sacrificing latency.

What should I do if I get this SOA-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: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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This SOA-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 SOA-C02 exam.