PDE Storing the Data Practice Question
A company needs a fully managed, PostgreSQL-compatible database that supports both transactional (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) workloads with low latency. They want to minimize operational overhead. Which two Google Cloud services should they consider? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The misconception that a single database service must be either purely transactional or purely analytical is common; the correct answer leverages a combination of AlloyDB for OLTP and BigQuery federation for OLAP to meet both requirements with low operational overhead.
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
✓
AlloyDB with BigQuery as a federated source
AlloyDB is a fully managed PostgreSQL-compatible database service designed for both transactional (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) workloads with low latency. By using BigQuery as a federated source, you can run analytical queries directly against AlloyDB data without moving it, combining operational and analytical capabilities while minimizing operational overhead.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL is OLTP but not optimized for analytical queries; lacks columnar engine.
- ✗
Cloud Spanner
Why it's wrong here
Spanner is globally distributed relational, not PostgreSQL-compatible.
- ✓
AlloyDB with BigQuery as a federated source
Why this is correct
AlloyDB handles OLTP, and BigQuery can query it via federated queries for analytics, but the question asks for services to consider; AlloyDB alone may suffice, but combining with BigQuery adds analytics power.
- ✗
BigQuery
Why it's wrong here
BigQuery is OLAP only, not transactional.
- ✓
AlloyDB
Why this is correct
AlloyDB is PostgreSQL-compatible with a columnar engine for analytics and OLTP.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PDE 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 PDE exam.