PCDE Migrate data solutions Practice Question
A company wants to migrate their on-premises PostgreSQL database to Cloud SQL using DMS. The source database is behind a firewall and does not have a public IP. The target Cloud SQL instance uses a private IP. How should the engineer connect the source to DMS?
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 a VPN or VPC peering to connect the source network to the GCP VPC.
For private connectivity, VPC peering between the source network and GCP VPC is required. Cloud SQL Auth Proxy is for connecting to Cloud SQL, not for source.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assign a public IP to the source database.
Why it's wrong here
Not recommended for security; the source is behind a firewall.
- ✗
Use DMS with a connection profile that specifies the source's private IP without any network configuration.
Why it's wrong here
DMS cannot reach private IP without network connectivity like VPC peering.
- ✓
Use a VPN or VPC peering to connect the source network to the GCP VPC.
Why this is correct
VPC peering or VPN allows DMS to reach the source via private IP.
- ✗
Configure Cloud SQL Auth Proxy on the source.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL Auth Proxy authenticates and encrypts connections to Cloud SQL instances but does not resolve network-level access restrictions; it requires the source to already have outbound connectivity to the Cloud SQL public IP or private IP endpoint. In this scenario, the source database is behind a firewall with no public IP and the target uses a private IP, so the proxy cannot establish a tunnel because the firewall blocks the outbound connection to the Cloud SQL private IP. It is tempting because Auth Proxy is commonly used to securely connect local or on-premises clients to Cloud SQL without configuring SSL or firewall rules, and it would be correct if the source had outbound internet access or a public IP to reach the Cloud SQL public endpoint.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This PCDE question is part of Courseiva's 1,446-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.