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Cloud Digital Leader Practice Question: A mid-size company runs a batch processing…
A mid-size company runs a batch processing application on a single on-premises server. The processing time varies; during month-end, the workload spikes and the server becomes overloaded, causing delays. The company wants a solution that automatically scales resources for peak times and only pays for extra capacity when used. They are considering migrating to Google Cloud. Which approach meets their needs?
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
✓
Deploy the application on a managed instance group in Compute Engine with autoscaling
A managed instance group (MIG) with autoscaling automatically adds or removes Compute Engine VM instances based on load, so the batch application can scale out during month-end peaks and scale back afterward, and you pay only for the instances actually running. This directly matches the requirement for automatic scaling and pay-for-use extra capacity. Option A uses a single larger instance, which is fixed capacity and cannot scale automatically, so it still risks overload and charges continuously for the larger size. Option C would require rewriting the application as a Cloud Function, which is not a drop-in fit for a batch processing server and may hit execution time and runtime limits. Option D changes the database and keeps a single Compute Engine instance for processing, so it still lacks automatic scaling for the workload.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Migrate the server to a single, larger Compute Engine instance with a static IP
Why it's wrong here
A single larger Compute Engine instance provides fixed capacity, so it cannot scale automatically during month-end spikes and you pay for it continuously. It is tempting because it is the smallest migration change from the on-premises server, and would be correct for a steady, predictable workload that never needs elastic capacity.
- ✓
Deploy the application on a managed instance group in Compute Engine with autoscaling
Why this is correct
A managed instance group with autoscaling adds and removes Compute Engine instances automatically as load rises during month-end peaks, and you pay only for instances actually running. This satisfies both the automatic scaling and pay-for-use constraints.
- ✗
Rewrite the batch processing application as a Cloud Function
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Functions are suited for short-lived, event-driven tasks, not long-running batch processing jobs.
- ✗
Use Cloud SQL for the database and a single Compute Engine instance for processing
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL scales the database tier, not the batch processing compute, and a single Compute Engine instance still cannot scale out for peak workloads. It is tempting because it modernises the data layer, and would be correct when the bottleneck is database performance rather than variable processing capacity.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managed Services vs Unmanaged Services on GCP
Key term
Compute Engine
Compute Engine is Google Cloud's Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering that lets you create and run virtual machines on Google's infrastructure.
Key term
Google Cloud
Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google that provides infrastructure, platform, and software solutions over the internet.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This GCDL practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 GCDL exam.