Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
A financial services company uses VPC Service Controls to protect their project containing BigQuery datasets and Cloud Storage buckets. They have a perimeter that includes the BigQuery service. Users report that they cannot export data from BigQuery to Cloud Storage using the web console. The export job fails with an access denied error. The team needs to allow exports while maintaining data exfiltration prevention. The users have the necessary IAM permissions (BigQuery Data Editor, Storage Object Admin) on the appropriate resources. What should the architect do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse IAM permissions with VPC Service Controls boundaries, assuming that granting the correct IAM roles (like Storage Object Admin) will resolve the access denied error, when in fact the error is caused by the perimeter blocking cross-service egress, not by insufficient IAM privileges.
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
✓
Add Cloud Storage to the same VPC Service Controls perimeter.
VPC Service Controls perimeters enforce data exfiltration prevention by default, blocking egress from protected services (like BigQuery) to unprotected services (like Cloud Storage). Adding Cloud Storage to the same perimeter allows BigQuery to export data to Cloud Storage while still preventing data from leaving the perimeter. The users already have the necessary IAM roles (BigQuery Data Editor and Storage Object Admin), so the issue is solely the perimeter boundary, not permissions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Add Cloud Storage to the same VPC Service Controls perimeter.
Why this is correct
Correct: This allows controlled data flow between BigQuery and Cloud Storage within the perimeter.
- ✗
Remove BigQuery from the VPC Service Controls perimeter.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: This would disable data exfiltration prevention for BigQuery, increasing risk.
- ✗
Create an access level that permits exports during business hours.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Access levels control ingress/egress based on client identity, not service-to-service data transfer.
- ✗
Grant the users the Storage Object Admin role at the bucket level.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Users already have necessary IAM; the issue is VPC Service Controls blocking the export.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Least privilege
Least privilege is a security principle that means giving users, systems, or programs only the minimum permissions they need to do their job and nothing more.
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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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.