Match each Google Cloud data service to its primary function.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
Managed relational database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server)
Globally distributed, strongly consistent relational database
NoSQL document database for mobile and web apps
NoSQL wide-column database for large analytical workloads
Managed in-memory cache (Redis/Memcached)
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Cloud SQL: Managed relational database for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server.
Cloud SQL is for traditional relational databases, Cloud Spanner for globally distributed ones, BigQuery for analytics, and Firestore for NoSQL document storage.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Cloud SQL: Managed relational database for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server.
Why this is correct
Cloud SQL is a fully managed relational database service that supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server. It automates backups, replication, and patching while offering regional high-availability; it is not globally distributed. This makes it suited for traditional online transaction processing (OLTP) applications that do not require multi-region writes.
Cloud Spanner: Globally distributed relational database with strong consistency and horizontal scalability.
Why this is correct
Cloud Spanner is a scalable relational database that provides global distribution with exactly one option: strong consistency. It uses synchronous replication across regions and TrueTime to guarantee external consistency, enabling horizontal scaling without sacrificing SQL semantics. This is designed for globally distributed applications needing transactional integrity at scale.
BigQuery: Serverless data warehouse for analytics and real-time insights.
Why this is correct
BigQuery is a serverless data warehouse that runs fast SQL analytics over petabytes of data. It separates compute and storage, uses columnar storage, and can ingest streaming data via the Storage Write API for near-real-time insights. It is intended for business intelligence and analytical workloads, not as a primary operational database.
Firestore: NoSQL document database for mobile and web apps.
Why this is correct
Firestore is a NoSQL document database built for mobile and web apps, offering real-time data synchronization and offline support. It has a flexible, hierarchical data model and scales automatically, making it part of the Firebase ecosystem. This is ideal for storing user profiles, chat messages, and game state with low latency.
Cloud SQL: Globally distributed relational database with strong consistency.
Why it's wrong here
This statement is incorrect because Cloud SQL is deployed regionally, not globally; it offers managed MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server with high availability within a single region. Global distribution with strong consistency is the defining characteristic of Cloud Spanner, which replicates synchronously across multiple regions. Cloud SQL cannot serve a globally distributed application with a single consistent view.
BigQuery: NoSQL document database for mobile and web apps.
Why it's wrong here
This is a misattribution: BigQuery is a serverless data warehouse for analytical queries, not a NoSQL document database. It stores data in columnar format and uses SQL to answer complex aggregate queries over large datasets. Firestore is the NoSQL document database, providing real-time sync and offline capabilities for mobile and web clients.
Go deeper
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Cloud Digital Transformation
Key term
Cloud SQL
Cloud SQL is a fully managed relational database service that lets you set up, maintain, and scale SQL databases (like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server) in the cloud without managing the underlying infrastructure.
Key term
BigQuery
BigQuery is a fully managed, serverless data warehouse on Google Cloud that lets you run fast SQL queries on massive datasets without managing any infrastructure.
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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.