- A
The project in Org B has not granted the roles/spanner.databaseUser role at the project level.
Why wrong: The role is granted at the database level.
- B
The Spanner database does not have the service account in Org A granted access directly.
Why wrong: The impersonation should work with the Spanner role on the service account in Org B.
- C
The service account in Org B does not have the roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser role on itself.
Why wrong: That role is on the service account in Org B to allow impersonation.
- D
The service account in Org A does not have the roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator role on the service account in Org B.
To impersonate, the external identity needs the serviceAccountTokenCreator role.
Question 947 of 1,000
mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
Cross-Organization Access with Service Account Impersonation
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of pcse exam topics. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 large enterprise has multiple Google Cloud organizations due to an acquisition. They want to allow a team in Org A to access a Cloud Spanner database in Org B. The team in Org A uses a service account for their application. They have set up Workload Identity Federation between the two organizations. The service account in Org B has the roles/spanner.databaseUser role on the database. The service account in Org A has been granted the roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser role on the service account in Org B. However, access attempts are failing with a permission denied error. What is the most likely missing configuration?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Quick Answer
The answer is that the service account in Org A is missing the roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator role on the service account in Org B. This is because cross-org access with workload identity federation and service account impersonation requires the external identity—here, the service account in Org A—to be granted the Token Creator role on the target service account in Org B. Without this role, the impersonation call fails, even though the Workload Identity User role is correctly assigned, because impersonation demands the ability to generate short-lived tokens for the target account. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the two-step permission chain: first, the external identity must have the Workload Identity User role to impersonate, and second, it must have the Service Account Token Creator role to actually mint tokens. A common trap is assuming the Spanner role alone suffices, but the impersonation layer is the missing link. Remember the mnemonic “Impersonate, then Tokenize”—you need both roles for cross-org access to work.
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
✓
The service account in Org A does not have the roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator role on the service account in Org B.
Option D is correct because the external identity (service account in Org A) must be impersonating the service account in Org B, but the impersonation requires the service account in Org A to have the roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator role on the service account in Org B. Option A is wrong because the roles are correctly assigned. Option B is wrong because the Spanner database does not need the impersonation role. Option C is wrong because the project-level Spanner role would not be the issue.
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.
- ✗
The project in Org B has not granted the roles/spanner.databaseUser role at the project level.
Why it's wrong here
The role is granted at the database level.
- ✗
The Spanner database does not have the service account in Org A granted access directly.
Why it's wrong here
The impersonation should work with the Spanner role on the service account in Org B.
- ✗
The service account in Org B does not have the roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser role on itself.
Why it's wrong here
That role is on the service account in Org B to allow impersonation.
- ✓
The service account in Org A does not have the roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator role on the service account in Org B.
Why this is correct
To impersonate, the external identity needs the serviceAccountTokenCreator role.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" 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
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCSE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCSE question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The service account in Org A does not have the roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator role on the service account in Org B. — Option D is correct because the external identity (service account in Org A) must be impersonating the service account in Org B, but the impersonation requires the service account in Org A to have the roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator role on the service account in Org B. Option A is wrong because the roles are correctly assigned. Option B is wrong because the Spanner database does not need the impersonation role. Option C is wrong because the project-level Spanner role would not be the issue.
What should I do if I get this PCSE question wrong?
Identify which PCSE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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