Which S3 Storage Solution Meets Call Transcript Retrieval Requirements?

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Design cost-optimized storage solutions. Determine high-performing and/or scalable storage solutions.

Short answer

C Use S3 Standard with search metadata for fast first-year retrieval, then S3 Lifecycle to Glacier Instant Retrieval after one year.

Question

A company stores call transcript files on a monthly basis. Users access the files randomly within 1 year of the call, but users access the files infrequently after 1 year. The company wants to optimize its solution by giving users the ability to query and retrieve files that are less than 1-year-old as quickly as possible. A delay in retrieving older files is acceptable.
Which solution will meet these requirements MOST cost-effectively?
  1. Store individual files with tags in Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval. Query the tags to retrieve the files from S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval.
  2. Store individual files in Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering. Use S3 Lifecycle policies to move the files to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 1 year. Query and retrieve the files that are in Amazon S3 by using Amazon Athena. Query and retrieve the files that are in S3 Glacier by using S3 Glacier Select.
  3. Store individual files with tags in Amazon S3 Standard storage. Store search metadata for each archive in Amazon S3 Standard storage. Use S3 Lifecycle policies to move the files to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 1 year. Query and retrieve the files by searching for metadata from Amazon S3. Correct Answer
  4. Store individual files in Amazon S3 Standard storage. Use S3 Lifecycle policies to move the files to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 1 year. Store search metadata in Amazon RDS. Query the files from Amazon RDS. Retrieve the files from S3 Glacier Deep Archive.

Key Takeaways

The exam tests whether you can separate hot-year retrieval speed from long-term archive cost; the trap is assuming S3 Intelligent-Tiering always preserves instant access even after its automatic archive transitions.

This question tests cost-effective Amazon S3 storage tiering for call transcripts that need fast random retrieval for one year and infrequent access afterward. The page establishes that keeping files in S3 Standard with search metadata and transitioning them to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 12 months (C) best balances speed and cost.

Common mistake: Many candidates choose B because S3 Intelligent-Tiering sounds ideal for random access, but its automatic tiering and Athena-over-transcripts plus Glacier Select path add complexity and cost without cleanly enforcing the one-year fast-retrieval boundary.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Option C uses S3 Standard for the first year, which gives millisecond, no-retrieval-fee access for the random queries inside the one-year window. It also keeps search metadata in S3 Standard, so the company can find the right transcript without scanning every file with Athena. After 12 months, S3 Lifecycle moves the transcripts to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, which cuts storage cost for infrequently accessed older files while still allowing retrieval. The metadata remains available for lookup, and the overall design avoids the per-object monitoring fees and automatic early archive transitions of Intelligent-Tiering. This best satisfies both fast retrieval for current files and the most cost-effective long-term storage.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

A is wrong because putting all files, including actively queried first-year transcripts, in Glacier Instant Retrieval incurs retrieval fees and 90-day minimum storage charges; it is not cost-effective for random frequent access. B sounds plausible because Intelligent-Tiering handles unpredictable access, but it can move objects to lower tiers after 30, 90, or 180 days, and the Athena-over-transcripts plus Glacier Select path is more complex and expensive than metadata lookup. D uses the cheapest archive tier for older files, but storing search metadata in Amazon RDS adds database cost and management overhead, and querying metadata from RDS is not as S3-native or cost-efficient as keeping metadata in S3 Standard. None of these matches the one-year hot window as cleanly as C.

Community Comment Notes

Several learners, including masetromain and killbots, backed B, with killbots arguing "Random = Unpredictable" and treating Intelligent-Tiering as the natural fit. Andrew123123 and sachin pushed back on that logic, pointing out that Intelligent-Tiering can move unaccessed files into S3-IA or Glacier tiers before the full year, which would undermine the fast-retrieval requirement. JohnnyBG preferred D for raw archive cost, but the RDS metadata component makes that choice harder to defend on total cost. 344bba0 summarized the C case well: Intelligent-Tiering may not guarantee fast random access within a year, while Athena can be an unnecessary cost for simple search. These comments mirror the exam's core trade-off between automated tiering and a controlled one-year S3 Standard window.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

Map each option to the one-year boundary: the first year needs millisecond retrieval, so avoid archive-only or auto-archive tiers unless the option explicitly controls the transition. Then check the query mechanism; metadata in S3 is cheaper and simpler than Athena scans over transcripts or an RDS metadata database.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't S3 Intelligent-Tiering guarantee the one-year fast retrieval window?

Intelligent-Tiering can move objects to infrequent or archive tiers after 30, 90, or 180 days; optional archive tiers may add retrieval latency, so it doesn't cleanly enforce a one-year hot window.

Why keep search metadata in S3 Standard rather than Amazon RDS?

Metadata is small and S3-native, so storing it in S3 Standard avoids RDS instance and management costs while still enabling fast lookup before the lifecycle transition.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Discussion 114 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 30 of 114

  1. masetromain 👍 45 Answered B
    I think the answer is B: Users access the files randomly S3 Intelligent-Tiering is the ideal storage class for data with unknown, changing, or unpredictable access patterns, independent of object size or retention period. You can use S3 Intelligent-Tiering as the default storage class for virtually any workload, especially data lakes, data analytics, new applications, and user-generated content. https://aws.amazon.com/fr/s3/storage-classes/intelligent-tiering/
  2. killbots 👍 12
    it doesnt say predictable, it says files are accessed random. Random = Unpredictable. Answer is B
  3. Lilibell 👍 12
    The answer is B
  4. IngenieriaEGlobal 👍 7
    The Answer is B. S3 Intelligent-Tiering stores objects in two access tiers: one tier that is optimized for frequent access and another lower-cost tier that is optimized for infrequent access. For a small monthly monitoring and automation fee per object, S3 Intelligent-Tiering monitors access patterns and moves objects that have not been accessed for 30 consecutive days to the infrequent access tier. There are no retrieval fees in S3 Intelligent-Tiering. If an object in the infrequent access tier is accessed later, it is automatically moved back to the frequent access tier. No additional tiering fees apply when objects are moved between access tiers within the S3 Intelligent-Tiering storage class. S3 Intelligent-Tiering is designed for 99.9% availability and 99.999999999% durability, and offers the same low latency and high throughput performance of S3 Standard
  5. ssoffline 👍 7
    Answer is C, why not intelligent Tiering If the Intelligent-Tiering data transitions to Glacier after 180 days instead of 1 year, it would still be a cost-effective solution that meets the requirements. With files stored in Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering, the data is automatically moved to the appropriate storage class based on its access patterns. In this case, if the data transitions to Glacier after 180 days, it means that files that are infrequently accessed beyond the initial 180 days will be stored in Glacier, which is a lower-cost storage option compared to S3 Standard.
Show 25 more comments
  1. Andrew123123 👍 7 Answered C
    C is correct. B does not make any sense because the company want to grant users the ability to retrieve and query the files that are "less than one year old as quickly as possible." Intelligent-tiering moves files that have been unassessed for 30 days to S3-IA, 90 days to S3 Glacier, and 180 days to S3 Glacier Deep Archive. This is problematic because Glacier and Glacier Deep Archive both have high retrieval times.
  2. user_deleted 👍 7
    I disagree with B, it says clearly access are less than 1-year-old as quickly as possible, use intelligent, if a data is not accessed after 3 months it will be moved to archive then you lose this requirement.
  3. JohnnyBG 👍 7 Answered D
    I would go against the majority and select D on this one. This is the most cost effective. Using S3 intelligent tiering is more costly and the delay to retrieve is acceptable.
  4. sachin 👍 6
    What about if the file you have not accessed 360 days and intelligent tier moved the file to Glacier and on 364 day you want to access the file instantly ? I think C is right choice
  5. 344bba0 👍 5 Answered C
    The answer is C. Intelligent tiering may not guarantee frequent, but random access and fast searches within a year. Athena is a great analysis solution, but it is an unnecessary cost for search purposes only.
  6. pbpally 👍 4 Answered B
    Key notes here: 1. "...randomly within 1 year of the call,.." Randomly = unpredictable -> Intelligent Tiering 2. "but users access the files infrequently after 1 year" coupled with "retrieve files that are less than 1-year-old as quickly as possible. A delay in retrieving older files is acceptable" -> Glacier Flexible Retrieval (has options for expedited = 1-5 minutes, standard = 3-5 hours, and bulk = 5-12 hours). Last but not least is "giving users the ability to QUERY". Query = Athena. It's literally a serverless query service to analyze data stored explicitly in S3.
  7. pentium75 👍 4
    C involves moving "the files to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval" which is not cost-effective since "a delay in retrieving older files is acceptable."
  8. Syruis 👍 4 Answered C
    C and not B just because Athena will be costly.
  9. cookieMr 👍 3 Answered B
    Option A would not optimize the retrieval of files less than 1-year-old, as the files would be stored in S3 Glacier, which has longer retrieval times compared to S3 Intelligent-Tiering. Option C adds complexity by involving two storage classes and may not provide the most cost-effective solution. Option D would require additional infrastructure with RDS for storing metadata and retrieval from S3 Glacier Deep Archive, which may not be necessary and could incur higher costs. Option B is the most suitable and cost-effective solution for optimizing file retrieval based on the access patterns described. Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering is a storage class that automatically moves objects between two access tiers: frequent access and infrequent access, based on their access patterns. By storing the files in S3 Intelligent-Tiering, the files less than 1-year-old will be kept in the frequent access tier, allowing for quick retrieval.
  10. BlueVolcano1 👍 3 Answered B
    Option B. S3 Intelligent-Tiering seems best as files are accessed randomly in the first year. After 1 year, a delay in retrieving files is acceptable, so it makes sense to move them to Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 1 year. Archives can be restored for free from there using the bulk option. To query and retrieve files, S3 Select/Glacier Select and Athena are best suited and cheap, as you only pay for what you use. A: Instant Retrieval is not the most cost-effective for the requirement, as requirements say a delay in retrieving files older than 1 year is acceptable. C: Same as A - Instant Retrieval is not the most cost-effective solution for the requirements. D: It's unnecessary to use RDS to query files when you have S3 Select, Glacier Select, Athena and Redshift Spectrum, all allowing you to query S3/Glacier, at varying levels of complexity.
  11. Kikiokiki 👍 3
    NOTE:"A delay in retrieving older files is acceptable." "For archive data that needs immediate access, such as medical images, news media assets, or genomics data, choose the S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval storage class, an archive storage class that delivers the lowest cost storage with milliseconds retrieval. For archive data that does not require immediate access but needs the flexibility to retrieve large sets of data at no cost, such as backup or disaster recovery use cases, choose S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval (formerly S3 Glacier), with retrieval in minutes or free bulk retrievals in 5-12 hours." https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/11/amazon-s3-glacier-instant-retrieval-storage-class/
  12. 123jhl0 👍 3 Answered A
    I think this is a bit tricky, as you have to pay attention to the sum of costs related at each answer: A: S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval for all storage (>1yo & +1yo) B: S3 Intelligent Tiering (>1yo storage) + S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval (+1yo storage) + Amazon Athena + S3 Glacier Select !!! C: S3 Standard (>1yo storage) + S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval (+1yo storage) D: S3 Standard (>1yo storage) + S3 Glacier Deep Archive (+1yo storage) + Amazon RDS Based on this, I'd choose A, but not sure I can retrieve files by tags... If it's not possible, then the cheapest after A is C.
  13. VitaminNmineral 👍 3 Answered B
    I asked ChatGPT In conclusion, C is possible, but C is not cost-effective. Both options B and C can meet the requirements, but option B with S3 Intelligent-Tiering may provide more cost savings as it optimizes storage costs based on access patterns, automatically moving files to the most appropriate tier. However, if the priority is primarily on fast retrieval times for files less than 1-year-old and the cost difference is not a significant concern, option C with Amazon S3 Standard storage and S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval can be a valid and cost-effective choice as well.
  14. ruqui 👍 3
    For all of you that (incorrectly, in my opinion) select Answer B: you are forgetting that an object is moved to Deep Archive access after 180 days of inactivity (here's the link with the details: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/intelligent-tiering-overview.html) Considering the above, it could happen that an object is required after day 180 of the first year, in that case the object is not immediately reachable, so one of the requirements are not met. The correct answer should the C
  15. MutiverseAgent 👍 3
    Agree, S3 Intelligent-Tiering meets all the requirements. The very important/crucial consideration here to satisfy that all files withing a year are instantly accessible is that the two options "Archive Access" and "Deep Archive Access" are not enabled in the "Archive rule actions" section present in the "Intelligent-Tiering Archive configurations" of the bucket. Those options are not enabled by default so this answer will work.
  16. _adoo 👍 3
    If you are like me and thought Athena would make this cost-inefficient: Athena is free for s3 querying. It has a cost per TB for SQL Queries. And a different cost for Apache apps. https://aws.amazon.com/athena/pricing/
  17. boringtangent 👍 3
    bro u r forgetting cost effectiveness which is the requirement 1 yr in s3 standard will cost more than s3 intelligent tire.
  18. Buruguduystunstugudunstuy 👍 2 Answered B
    CORRECT Option B is the most cost-effective solution for meeting the requirements described. In Option B, the files are stored in Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering, which automatically moves infrequently accessed data to a lower-cost storage tier based on usage patterns. This means that the files that are accessed frequently within the first year will be stored in the most efficient storage tier, while files that are not accessed as frequently can be moved to a lower-cost tier after 1 year. Option B also uses S3 Lifecycle policies to move the files to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 1 year, which allows the company to store the files at a lower cost while still being able to retrieve them within a reasonable amount of time. The files can be queried and retrieved from S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval using S3 Glacier Select, which allows for efficient querying of data stored in S3 Glacier.
  19. TheAbsoluteTruth 👍 2 Answered B
    La opción B parece ser la solución más rentable para cumplir con los requisitos de la empresa. Al almacenar los archivos en Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering, se pueden utilizar las políticas de ciclo de vida para mover los archivos a S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval después de 1 año, lo que permite ahorrar costos de almacenamiento a largo plazo. Para acceder a los archivos que se encuentran en Amazon S3, se puede utilizar Amazon Athena, lo que permite una recuperación rápida y eficiente de los archivos que tienen menos de 1 año. Para acceder a los archivos que se encuentran en S3 Glacier, se puede utilizar S3 Glacier Select, lo que permite la recuperación de datos selectiva y reduce los costos de recuperación. Esta solución también es escalable, lo que significa que puede manejar grandes volúmenes de datos y un alto número de usuarios.
  20. c12ab95 👍 2 Answered B
    Why Option B Works Best: First Year (Active Access): S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically shifts objects between Frequent and Infrequent Access tiers, reducing costs by ~40% if access declines. Athena queries data directly in S3, avoiding retrieval fees for active tiers. After 1 Year (Infrequent Access): Lifecycle policies transition data to Glacier Flexible Retrieval, which supports Glacier Select for SQL-based partial retrievals (avoids restoring entire files). Cost savings: Flexible Retrieval is cheaper than S3 Standard-IA and allows expedited (1–5 min) or bulk (5–12 hr) retrievals. Query Flexibility: Recent files (<1 year) are queried via Athena with millisecond latency. Older files (>1 year) use Glacier Select to retrieve subsets of data, minimizing retrieval costs and time.
  21. JayBee65 👍 2
    I'm not sure what you mean by your definition of Glacier Select, but the link you specify says "Glacier Select.. Most legacy archival solutions, like on premise tape libraries, have highly restricted data retrieval throughput and are unsuitable for rapid analytics or processing. If you want to make use of data stored on one of those tapes you might have to wait for weeks to get useful results. In contrast, cold data stored in Glacier can now be easily queried within minutes. This unlocks a lot of exciting new business value for your archived data. Glacier Select allows you to to perform filtering directly against a Glacier object using standard SQL statements." This is what is required, so makes B the correct answer...
  22. Buruguduystunstugudunstuy 👍 2
    In comparison--- Option A stores the files in S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, which is a storage tier that is optimized for fast retrieval of data. This option may not be as cost-effective because it requires the data to be stored in a more expensive storage tier, even if it is not accessed frequently. Option C stores the files in S3 Standard storage and moves them to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 1 year, which is a similar approach to Option A and may not be as cost-effective. Option D stores the files in S3 Standard storage and moves them to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 1 year, which is the lowest-cost storage tier but may not meet the requirement for fast retrieval of files that are less than 1 year old.
  23. ocbn3wby 👍 2 Answered C
    https://aws.amazon.com/s3/pricing/ A: S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval* - For long-lived archive data accessed once a quarter with instant retrieval in milliseconds While the users access the files randomly (not specified once/quarter) - Answer A does not fit. B: When we are talking about S3 Intelligent Tiering - this is the most cost effective. However, Glacier Select defeats the purpose: it's focused on extracting data FROM a bigger file and not the file itself. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/s3-glacier-select/ D: Involves RDS, increases the cost. Not much difference between Deep archive and instant retrieval (D vs C). I'd go for C.
  24. awsgeek75 👍 2 Answered B
    A: It does not account for random pattern of first year C: "Store search metadata for each archive in Amazon S3 Standard storage"... this part is wrong for me. Storing metadata forever in S3 so that it can be queries? This is why I won't select it. D: RDS is costly for storage and query just to know where your S3 object is. B is correct as Intelligent Tiering takes care of random frequency in first year in most cost effective way. Older object will end up in S3 glacier with flexible retrieval so cost effective. Athena doesn't care where your object is (s3 standard, IA or Glacier) and queries work.
  25. fb4afde 👍 2 Answered C
    I picked "B" first, then switched to "C" because it asks for MORE cost-effective = Athena might be pricey: however: Access Patterns: If your data access patterns are predictable and consistent, and you do not require automatic tiering based on access frequency, S3 Standard might be a straightforward and cost-effective choice. Variable Access Patterns: If your data access patterns are variable or unpredictable, and you want automatic cost optimization based on access frequency, S3 Intelligent-Tiering might provide cost savings.

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