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PCDE Practice Question: Manage a solution that can span multiple database technologies

A company is using Cloud Bigtable and wants to set up monitoring and alerting for replication lag between clusters. Which TWO metrics should they use? (Choose 2)

⚠ Common exam trap

Google Cloud often tests the distinction between `replication_lag` and `replication_delay` as two separate but valid metrics, while candidates may mistakenly think only one is correct or confuse them with cluster health metrics like CPU or disk usage.

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

cloudbigtable.googleapis.com/cluster/replication_lag

`replication_lag` directly measures the time difference between the primary cluster and a replica cluster in Cloud Bigtable, which is the key metric for monitoring replication delay. Option D is also correct because `replication_delay` is another metric that tracks the same concept, often reported in seconds, and is used to alert when replicas fall behind. Both metrics are essential for ensuring data consistency and timely failover in multi-cluster Bigtable deployments.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • cloudbigtable.googleapis.com/cluster/disk_usage

    Why it's wrong here

    Disk usage is not replication-specific.

  • cloudbigtable.googleapis.com/cluster/replication_lag

    Why this is correct

    Correct. This metric shows the lag in operations.

  • cloudbigtable.googleapis.com/cluster/cpu_load

    Why it's wrong here

    CPU load is not a replication metric.

  • cloudbigtable.googleapis.com/cluster/replication_delay

    Why this is correct

    Correct. This metric shows replication delay in seconds.

  • cloudbigtable.googleapis.com/cluster/operations_count

    Why it's wrong here

    Operations count is not a replication lag metric.

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JA

Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

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.