- A
Reduce the retention period for the source transaction log backups
Why wrong: Reducing retention could cause DMS to lose log data and fail.
- B
Shrink the source transaction log to free up space
Why wrong: Shrinking is a temporary fix; the log will grow again and the error will recur.
- C
Switch the source database to simple recovery model to reduce logging
Why wrong: Simple recovery model disables log truncation for point-in-time recovery and may break CDC; DMS requires full or bulk-logged recovery model.
- D
Increase the size of the source transaction log and ensure it is not limited
A larger transaction log prevents 'log full' errors during CDC replication.
Question 778 of 999
PCD Practice Question: Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of manage a solution that can span multiple database systems. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 is migrating a 5 TB SQL Server database to Cloud SQL for SQL Server using Database Migration Service (DMS). After the full dump phase, the continuous replication (CDC) phase starts. The team notices that the source database transaction log is growing rapidly and the CDC phase is failing intermittently with 'log space' errors. What should they do?
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
✓
Increase the size of the source transaction log and ensure it is not limited
Option D is correct because the intermittent 'log space' errors during CDC indicate that the source transaction log is running out of space to record changes for replication. Database Migration Service (DMS) requires sufficient log space to capture ongoing changes; increasing the log size and removing any size limits ensures the log can grow to accommodate the replication lag without failing.
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.
- ✗
Reduce the retention period for the source transaction log backups
Why it's wrong here
Reducing retention could cause DMS to lose log data and fail.
- ✗
Shrink the source transaction log to free up space
Why it's wrong here
Shrinking is a temporary fix; the log will grow again and the error will recur.
- ✗
Switch the source database to simple recovery model to reduce logging
Why it's wrong here
Simple recovery model disables log truncation for point-in-time recovery and may break CDC; DMS requires full or bulk-logged recovery model.
- ✓
Increase the size of the source transaction log and ensure it is not limited
Why this is correct
A larger transaction log prevents 'log full' errors during CDC replication.
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 confuse 'log space errors' with a need to reduce logging or shrink the log, when in fact the solution is to provide more space for the log to grow during the CDC phase of Google Cloud's Database Migration Service.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, DMS CDC uses SQL Server's log reader agent to scan the transaction log for committed changes. If the log is size-limited or fills up, the agent cannot read new entries, causing 'log space' errors. Increasing the log file size and setting it to autogrow (with no maximum) allows the log to accommodate bursts of write activity during migration, while still supporting point-in-time recovery if needed. In real-world scenarios, the log may need to be sized to handle the peak transaction rate plus the replication lag time.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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.
- →
Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PCD questions
999 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Cloud Developer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PCD practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PCD practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems.
Deploy Scalable and Highly Available Databases in Google Cloud practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Deploy Scalable and Highly Available Databases in Google Cloud.
Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions.
Migrate Data Solutions practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Migrate Data Solutions.
Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications.
Building and testing applications practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Building and testing applications.
Deploying applications practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Deploying applications.
Integrating Google Cloud services practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Integrating Google Cloud services.
Managing application performance monitoring practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to Managing application performance monitoring.
PCD fundamentals practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to PCD fundamentals.
PCD scenario practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to PCD scenario.
PCD troubleshooting practice questions
Practise PCD questions linked to PCD troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free PCD 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 PCD question test?
Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems — This question tests Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the size of the source transaction log and ensure it is not limited — Option D is correct because the intermittent 'log space' errors during CDC indicate that the source transaction log is running out of space to record changes for replication. Database Migration Service (DMS) requires sufficient log space to capture ongoing changes; increasing the log size and removing any size limits ensures the log can grow to accommodate the replication lag without failing.
What should I do if I get this PCD 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 PCD practice questions
- A company is deploying a microservices architecture on GKE. They need to expose a set of related microservices under a s…
- You need to monitor the CPU usage of a Compute Engine instance and trigger an alert when it exceeds 80% for 5 minutes. W…
- A Cloud Bigtable instance has a single cluster. To improve availability and read throughput, the team decides to add a s…
- A developer wants to enable IAM database authentication for Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL. Which IAM role must be granted to…
- A company is using Cloud Bigtable for a time-series workload. They want to monitor performance and identify hot spots. W…
- A company wants to run hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP) workloads on a PostgreSQL-compatible database w…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCD 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 PCD 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.