Google PCA Practice Question: Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes
A company wants to automatically move data from Cloud Storage Standard to Nearline after 30 days and to Archive after 90 days. Which approach should they use?
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
✓
Set up a Cloud Storage lifecycle policy with rules to transition to Nearline after 30 days and to Archive after 90 days
Cloud Storage lifecycle policies can automatically transition objects between storage classes based on age or other conditions. This is the simplest and most cost-effective method. Manually moving data is not practical. Object versioning helps with retention but not automatic tiering. Requester pays shifts costs but does not move data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Write a custom script using Cloud Functions triggered by Pub/Sub to move objects
Why it's wrong here
A custom script triggered by Pub/Sub lacks the native lifecycle management rules that apply automatically based on object age; it would require manual logic to track creation timestamps and schedule deletions, whereas Cloud Storage’s built-in lifecycle policies handle this declaratively. This approach is tempting because Pub/Sub notifications can reliably trigger actions on object creation, making it correct for real-time processing workflows such as transcoding or virus scanning immediately after upload.
- ✗
Use Object Versioning to automatically change storage class
Why it's wrong here
Object versioning preserves versions but does not automatically change storage class.
- ✓
Set up a Cloud Storage lifecycle policy with rules to transition to Nearline after 30 days and to Archive after 90 days
Why this is correct
Lifecycle policies automate tiering based on age.
- ✗
Enable Requester Pays on the bucket to reduce storage costs
Why it's wrong here
Requester Pays shifts network costs, not storage class transitions.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
CAN
A CAN (Controller Area Network) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without a host computer.
Key term
Data
Data is raw, unprocessed information, like numbers, words, or measurements, that can be stored, processed, and analyzed by computers.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.