Question 1,061 of 1,446
Design innovative, scalable, and highly available cloud database solutions →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
PCDE Practice Question: Design innovative, scalable, and highly available cloud database solutions
A company uses Cloud SQL for MySQL and wants to run complex analytical queries on the same data without affecting OLTP performance. They need a solution with minimal data movement and low operational overhead. Which approach should they take?
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
✓
Use AlloyDB for PostgreSQL with its columnar engine
AlloyDB is a PostgreSQL-compatible database that includes a columnar engine for analytical queries, providing HTAP capabilities with minimal performance impact on OLTP. BigQuery requires exporting data, which adds latency and overhead. Read replicas still run on MySQL engines optimized for OLTP. Spanner is overkill and requires migration. AlloyDB is the best fit for HTAP.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Migrate to Cloud Spanner
Why it's wrong here
Spanner is globally distributed; migration effort is high and it doesn't specifically enhance analytics.
- ✗
Export data to BigQuery periodically
Why it's wrong here
Exporting adds latency, operational overhead, and data staleness.
- ✗
Set up a Cloud SQL read replica and run analytical queries on it
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas use the same engine (MySQL) which is not optimized for analytics.
- ✓
Use AlloyDB for PostgreSQL with its columnar engine
Why this is correct
AlloyDB provides HTAP with a built-in columnar engine for analytics without impacting OLTP.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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.
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