- A
Re-architect to microservices on GKE with AlloyDB
Why wrong: Re-architecting contradicts 'minimal changes'. AlloyDB is PostgreSQL-compatible, not SQL Server.
- B
Lift-and-shift onto Compute Engine with SQL Server on the same VM
Why wrong: This increases licensing costs and management overhead. Not the most appropriate for minimal changes.
- C
Re-platform to Cloud Spanner
Why wrong: Re-platforming to Spanner requires significant application changes and does not support SQL Server compatibility.
- D
Lift-and-shift onto Compute Engine with Cloud SQL for SQL Server
Lift-and-shift moves the app as-is; Cloud SQL for SQL Server provides a fully managed, compatible database, meeting licensing constraints.
Question 10 of 1,000
Google PCA Practice Question: Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of designing and planning a cloud solution architecture. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has a legacy monolithic application running on-premises that must be migrated to Google Cloud with minimal changes. The application uses a SQL Server database and has strict licensing constraints. Which migration approach and storage service is most appropriate?
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
✓
Lift-and-shift onto Compute Engine with Cloud SQL for SQL Server
Option D is correct because the requirement specifies minimal changes and strict licensing constraints. Lift-and-shift onto Compute Engine with Cloud SQL for SQL Server allows you to migrate the monolithic application with minimal modifications while leveraging a managed SQL Server service that respects existing licensing (including bring-your-own-license). This avoids the cost and complexity of re-architecting or re-platforming.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Re-architect to microservices on GKE with AlloyDB
Why it's wrong here
Re-architecting contradicts 'minimal changes'. AlloyDB is PostgreSQL-compatible, not SQL Server.
- ✗
Lift-and-shift onto Compute Engine with SQL Server on the same VM
Why it's wrong here
This increases licensing costs and management overhead. Not the most appropriate for minimal changes.
- ✗
Re-platform to Cloud Spanner
Why it's wrong here
Re-platforming to Spanner requires significant application changes and does not support SQL Server compatibility.
- ✓
Lift-and-shift onto Compute Engine with Cloud SQL for SQL Server
Why this is correct
Lift-and-shift moves the app as-is; Cloud SQL for SQL Server provides a fully managed, compatible database, meeting licensing constraints.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume 'minimal changes' means they must keep the database on the same VM (Option B), but they overlook that SQL Server licensing requires dedicated resources and that Cloud SQL for SQL Server is a managed service that still supports lift-and-shift with proper licensing compliance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL for SQL Server supports both bring-your-own-license (BYOL) and pay-per-usage licensing models, allowing you to maintain existing SQL Server licensing agreements. The lift-and-shift approach uses Compute Engine instances with minimal OS and application changes, often leveraging VM migration tools like Migrate for Compute Engine (formerly Velostrata) to move the monolithic app as-is. Under the hood, Cloud SQL provides automated backups, patching, and replication, reducing operational overhead while keeping the application's SQL Server dependencies intact.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PCA questions
1,000 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Cloud Architect study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PCA practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PCA practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability.
Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture.
Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure.
Designing for Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Designing for Security and Compliance.
Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes.
Design and plan a cloud solution architecture practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Design and plan a cloud solution architecture.
Manage and provision cloud infrastructure practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Manage and provision cloud infrastructure.
Design for security and compliance practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Design for security and compliance.
Analyze and optimize technical and business processes practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Analyze and optimize technical and business processes.
Manage implementation of cloud architecture practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Manage implementation of cloud architecture.
Ensure solution and operations reliability practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to Ensure solution and operations reliability.
PCA fundamentals practice questions
Practise PCA questions linked to PCA fundamentals.
Practice this exam
Start a free PCA practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — This question tests Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Lift-and-shift onto Compute Engine with Cloud SQL for SQL Server — Option D is correct because the requirement specifies minimal changes and strict licensing constraints. Lift-and-shift onto Compute Engine with Cloud SQL for SQL Server allows you to migrate the monolithic application with minimal modifications while leveraging a managed SQL Server service that respects existing licensing (including bring-your-own-license). This avoids the cost and complexity of re-architecting or re-platforming.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More PCA practice questions
- A company has a requirement to store application logs for 7 years for compliance. They are using Cloud Logging. What is…
- A company is migrating a legacy monolithic application to Google Cloud. The application runs on a single VM and uses a l…
- A financial services company is designing a multi-tier application on Google Cloud. The application must meet PCI DSS co…
- A company is migrating its on-premises workloads to Google Cloud. They have strict compliance requirements that all data…
- A company wants to optimize their cloud spending on Google Cloud. They have a mix of workloads including batch processin…
- An organization wants to enforce that all Compute Engine VMs are created with specific disk encryption keys. Which polic…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCA 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 PCA exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.