Professional Data EngineerEnsuring solution qualityEasy
A media company is building a data lake on Cloud Storage to store petabytes of raw video, audio, and image files. These files are accessed infrequently after an initial processing phase but must be retained for several years for compliance and future machine learning model training. You need to optimize storage costs while ensuring long-term retention and occasional access. Which Cloud Storage class should you primarily use for this data?
- ANearline storage.
- BColdline storage.
- CStandard storage.
- DArchive storage.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Archive storage.
Archive storage is designed for long-term data archiving with very low storage costs, making it suitable for data accessed less than once a year. It has higher retrieval costs and latency but is the most cost-effective for data retained for several years with infrequent access.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Nearline storage is for data accessed less than once a month, but not as infrequently as described (several years).
- B. Coldline storage is for data accessed less than once a quarter, which is still more frequent than the 'infrequently after an initial processing phase' and 'several years' requirement.
- C. Standard storage is for frequently accessed 'hot' data (accessed multiple times a month), which is too expensive for infrequent access.
Cloud Storage Archival Classes
Cost-optimized Cloud Storage classes for data accessed infrequently, designed for long-term retention.
- Archive: accessed < 1/year, lowest storage cost.
- Coldline: accessed < 1/quarter, low storage cost.
- Nearline: accessed < 1/month, moderate storage cost.
Memory trick: Think of storage classes like a library: Standard is the new arrivals, Nearline is popular books, Coldline is less common, and Archive is the dusty basement for old records.