- A
Availability of regional high availability.
Why wrong: High availability is available in all Cloud SQL editions, so it is not a distinguishing factor for choosing an edition.
- B
Automated backup capabilities.
Why wrong: Automated backups are supported across all editions, so they do not influence edition choice.
- C
Maximum storage capacity supported by each edition.
Enterprise Plus supports up to 30 TB, Enterprise supports up to 16 TB. This capacity difference makes it a factor when choosing an edition for a 5 TB database.
- D
Performance characteristics such as maximum IOPS and throughput.
Performance characteristics such as maximum IOPS and throughput vary by edition and impact database performance, especially for a large 5 TB workload.
- E
Integration with VPC networks.
Why wrong: VPC network integration is a feature common to all Cloud SQL editions, so it is not a factor in edition selection.
Selecting Cloud SQL Edition for Large Databases
This PCDE practice question tests your understanding of plan and manage database infrastructure. 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.
A company is planning to migrate a large on-premises MySQL database (5 TB) to Cloud SQL. They need to choose the appropriate Cloud SQL edition. Which two factors should they consider? (Choose two.)
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to consider maximum storage capacity and performance characteristics like IOPS and throughput. For a large 5 TB database, the Cloud SQL edition must support at least that storage volume—Enterprise Plus supports up to 30 TB, while Enterprise caps at 10 TB—making capacity a non-negotiable factor. Equally critical are the IOPS and throughput limits, which vary by edition and directly govern how fast your database can read and write data under heavy load. On the Google Professional Cloud Database Engineer exam, this question tests your ability to map workload requirements to Cloud SQL edition features, often trapping candidates who focus only on vCPUs or memory. A common memory tip is “Size and Speed”: first confirm the edition can hold your data (size), then ensure it can move it fast enough (speed).
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
Maximum storage capacity supported by each edition.
Option C is correct because Cloud SQL editions have different maximum storage capacities: Enterprise Plus supports up to 30 TB, while Enterprise supports up to 16 TB. For a 5 TB database, the edition must support at least that capacity, making this a key factor. Option D is correct because performance characteristics like maximum IOPS and throughput vary by edition and directly impact database performance, especially for a large 5 TB workload.
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.
- ✗
Availability of regional high availability.
Why it's wrong here
High availability is available in all Cloud SQL editions, so it is not a distinguishing factor for choosing an edition.
- ✗
Automated backup capabilities.
Why it's wrong here
Automated backups are supported across all editions, so they do not influence edition choice.
- ✓
Maximum storage capacity supported by each edition.
Why this is correct
Enterprise Plus supports up to 30 TB, Enterprise supports up to 16 TB. This capacity difference makes it a factor when choosing an edition for a 5 TB database.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Performance characteristics such as maximum IOPS and throughput.
Why this is correct
Performance characteristics such as maximum IOPS and throughput vary by edition and impact database performance, especially for a large 5 TB workload.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Integration with VPC networks.
Why it's wrong here
VPC network integration is a feature common to all Cloud SQL editions, so it is not a factor in edition selection.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse features that are available across all editions (like VPC integration, backups, or HA) with edition-specific differentiators, leading them to select options that are not actually factors in edition choice.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL editions differ in storage limits, IOPS, and throughput due to underlying hardware and configuration constraints; for instance, Enterprise Plus uses regional persistent disks with higher IOPS limits (up to 100,000 IOPS) compared to Enterprise (up to 30,000 IOPS). Additionally, the maximum storage capacity directly affects the ability to scale the database without migration, and for a 5 TB database, choosing an edition with insufficient storage cap would require a future edition upgrade or data migration. Understanding these limits is critical when planning for growth and performance SLAs.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
- →
Plan and manage database infrastructure — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Plan and manage database infrastructure practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PCDE questions
1,000 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Cloud Database Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PCDE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PCDE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Building and Implementing CI/CD Pipelines for a Service practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Building and Implementing CI/CD Pipelines for a Service.
Bootstrapping a Google Cloud Organisation for DevOps practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Bootstrapping a Google Cloud Organisation for DevOps.
Applying Site Reliability Engineering Practices to a Service practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Applying Site Reliability Engineering Practices to a Service.
Implementing Service Monitoring Strategies practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Implementing Service Monitoring Strategies.
Optimising Service Performance practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Optimising Service Performance.
Plan and manage database infrastructure practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Plan and manage database infrastructure.
Define data structures and implement SQL for Business Intelligence practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Define data structures and implement SQL for Business Intelligence.
Design and implement database schemas practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Design and implement database schemas.
Monitor and optimize database performance practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to Monitor and optimize database performance.
PCDE fundamentals practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to PCDE fundamentals.
PCDE scenario practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to PCDE scenario.
PCDE troubleshooting practice questions
Practise PCDE questions linked to PCDE troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free PCDE 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 PCDE question test?
Plan and manage database infrastructure — This question tests Plan and manage database infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Maximum storage capacity supported by each edition. — Option C is correct because Cloud SQL editions have different maximum storage capacities: Enterprise Plus supports up to 30 TB, while Enterprise supports up to 16 TB. For a 5 TB database, the edition must support at least that capacity, making this a key factor. Option D is correct because performance characteristics like maximum IOPS and throughput vary by edition and directly impact database performance, especially for a large 5 TB workload.
What should I do if I get this PCDE 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 PCDE practice questions
- A company stores sensor data in BigQuery. They have a table 'sensor_readings' with columns: sensor_id, reading_time, val…
- Which THREE are valid considerations when designing BigQuery tables for BI reporting?
- A company uses Cloud Build to build Docker images. They want to cache intermediate layers to speed up subsequent builds.…
- A company is adopting GitOps for their GKE clusters using Config Sync. They need to meet the following requirements: (1)…
- A team is migrating an on-premises PostgreSQL database to Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL. The existing schema uses a large num…
- A DevOps engineer is setting up Docker credential helper for Artifact Registry on a Cloud Build worker. They want the bu…
Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This PCDE 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 PCDE 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.