- A
Firestore
Why wrong: Firestore is a NoSQL document database for real-time apps, not for analytics.
- B
Cloud Spanner
Why wrong: Cloud Spanner is a globally distributed relational database for OLTP, not a data warehouse.
- C
Cloud SQL
Why wrong: Cloud SQL is a managed relational database for OLTP, not designed for petabyte-scale analytics.
- D
BigQuery
BigQuery is a serverless data warehouse that scales to petabytes and supports standard SQL.
Question 37 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. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which Google Cloud service provides a fully managed, serverless data warehouse for petabyte-scale analytics using SQL?
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
✓
BigQuery
BigQuery is Google Cloud's fully managed, serverless data warehouse designed for petabyte-scale analytics using standard SQL. It automatically handles infrastructure scaling, partitioning, and query optimization, allowing users to run fast SQL queries on massive datasets without managing servers or clusters.
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.
- ✗
Firestore
Why it's wrong here
Firestore is a NoSQL document database for real-time apps, not for analytics.
- ✗
Cloud Spanner
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Spanner is a globally distributed relational database for OLTP, not a data warehouse.
- ✗
Cloud SQL
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL is a managed relational database for OLTP, not designed for petabyte-scale analytics.
- ✓
BigQuery
Why this is correct
BigQuery is a serverless data warehouse that scales to petabytes and supports standard SQL.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google often tests the distinction between transactional databases (like Cloud SQL, Spanner) and analytical data warehouses (like BigQuery), where candidates mistakenly choose a familiar SQL database service for analytics without recognizing the petabyte-scale, serverless requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
BigQuery uses a columnar storage format (Capacitor) and a distributed query engine (Dremel) that separates compute from storage, enabling it to scan terabytes in seconds. It supports features like clustering, partitioning, and materialized views to optimize query performance and cost, and integrates with Google's infrastructure for automatic scaling without user intervention.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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.
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Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — study guide chapter
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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: BigQuery — BigQuery is Google Cloud's fully managed, serverless data warehouse designed for petabyte-scale analytics using standard SQL. It automatically handles infrastructure scaling, partitioning, and query optimization, allowing users to run fast SQL queries on massive datasets without managing servers or clusters.
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 →
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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.
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