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SAA-C03Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized ArchitecturesCost-Optimized StorageeasySingle choice

Log objects must be kept 7 years: queried daily for 30 days, rarely after a year, almost never after that. What's the most cost-effective storage strategy?

A.Keep everything in S3 Standard for instant access

Standard is the most expensive tier — terrible for 7-year archival.

B.Lifecycle rule: Standard → Standard-IA at 30 days → Glacier Deep Archive at 1 year

Correct — tier costs track access frequency exactly.

C.Store everything in Glacier Deep Archive from day one

Deep Archive retrieval takes ~12 hours — fails the daily-query requirement.

D.Move to EBS snapshots after 30 days

EBS snapshots aren't a queryable log store and cost more than IA/Glacier.

Why this answer

Lifecycle rules automate tier transitions matching access frequency — Standard for the hot month, IA for occasional retrieval, Deep Archive (the cheapest S3 class) for rarely-touched compliance data.

Correct answer: B · Last reviewed 2026-11-01

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