Google PCA Practice Question: Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure
A financial services company requires that all audit logs be retained for 7 years in a cost-effective, immutable storage. They also need to run ad-hoc SQL queries on the logs. Which configuration 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
✓
Create two log sinks: one to BigQuery for querying, and one to Cloud Storage with object retention policy for immutable storage
Logging can export logs to BigQuery for SQL querying, and BigQuery offers time-based partitioning and long-term retention. However, for immutable storage, Cloud Storage with retention policy is recommended. The best approach is to use a log sink to BigQuery for analysis, and another sink to Cloud Storage with a retention policy for long-term immutable storage. Option D combines both sinks correctly.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a log sink to BigQuery with a 7-year partition expiration and use BigQuery's SQL capabilities
Why it's wrong here
BigQuery partition expiration deletes data after a set time; you can set it to 7 years, but BigQuery does not provide immutable storage natively (tables can be deleted or modified).
- ✗
Use Cloud Logging's default retention and set up a log-based metric to trigger a Cloud Function that copies logs to BigQuery
Why it's wrong here
Default retention in Cloud Logging is not 7 years (it is 30 days for logs bucket). Also, this approach is complex and does not guarantee immutability.
- ✗
Export logs to Cloud Storage with a retention policy set to 7 years and use Cloud Storage SQL interface
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Storage does not support SQL querying directly; you would need to load data into another service like BigQuery for analysis.
- ✓
Create two log sinks: one to BigQuery for querying, and one to Cloud Storage with object retention policy for immutable storage
Why this is correct
Log sinks to BigQuery allow SQL queries; Cloud Storage with retention policy provides immutable, cost-effective long-term storage.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
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.
Key term
Cloud storage
Cloud storage is a service that lets you save data on remote servers accessed over the internet instead of on your computer's hard drive.
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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.