- A
Random salt
Why wrong: Salt helps write distribution but not query filtering.
- B
Timestamp (reversed)
Why wrong: If timestamp is first, queries by severity would require scanning all timestamps.
- C
Message ID
Why wrong: Message ID is not a filter criterion.
- D
Severity level
Severity is the primary filter; placing it first enables efficient prefix scans.
Question 543 of 1,000
PCDOE Design and Plan Database Solutions Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of design and plan database solutions. 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 runs a high-traffic event logging system on Cloud Bigtable. Each event has a timestamp, severity level, and a message. Queries often filter by severity and time range. To optimize for this access pattern, which field should be placed first in the row key?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
✓
Severity level
Severity level should be placed first in the row key because Cloud Bigtable stores rows in lexicographic order by row key. By placing severity first, all rows with the same severity are stored contiguously, making range scans over time within a severity highly efficient. This directly supports the query pattern of filtering by severity and time range without requiring a full table scan.
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.
- ✗
Random salt
Why it's wrong here
Salt helps write distribution but not query filtering.
- ✗
Timestamp (reversed)
Why it's wrong here
If timestamp is first, queries by severity would require scanning all timestamps.
- ✗
Message ID
Why it's wrong here
Message ID is not a filter criterion.
- ✓
Severity level
Why this is correct
Severity is the primary filter; placing it first enables efficient prefix scans.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A common misconception is that placing a high-cardinality field like timestamp first is optimal for time-range queries, but in Bigtable, the leading key component determines data locality, so you must place the most frequently filtered field first to avoid cross-tablet scans.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Bigtable uses a single-level sorted map (based on Google's Chubby and SSTable architecture) where row keys are stored in lexicographic order. When severity is the leading component, Bigtable can perform a prefix scan over a narrow key range for a given severity, then filter by timestamp within that range. In practice, a common design pattern is to use a composite key like 'severity#reversed_timestamp' to also optimize for most-recent-first queries within a severity level.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Visual reference
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Design and Plan Database Solutions — This question tests Design and Plan Database Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Severity level — Severity level should be placed first in the row key because Cloud Bigtable stores rows in lexicographic order by row key. By placing severity first, all rows with the same severity are stored contiguously, making range scans over time within a severity highly efficient. This directly supports the query pattern of filtering by severity and time range without requiring a full table scan.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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