PDE Ingesting and Processing the Data Practice Question
A company needs to load data from a MySQL database into BigQuery daily. The data volume is 10 GB per day and the schema changes occasionally. They want to minimize costs and operational overhead. What is the MOST appropriate approach?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common misconception is that Datastream is always the best choice for moving data from MySQL to BigQuery. However, Datastream is intended for continuous replication and is not cost-optimal for periodic batch loads. For a daily batch load, the classic extract-load pattern (export to GCS, then BigQuery load job) is more appropriate and cost-effective.
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
✓
Export MySQL data to CSV, upload to GCS, and use BigQuery load jobs
For a daily batch load of 10 GB with occasional schema changes, the most cost-effective and low-overhead approach is to export the MySQL data to CSV or Parquet, upload it to Cloud Storage, and use BigQuery load jobs. BigQuery load jobs are free (you only pay for storage and queries), and they can handle schema changes via schema autodetect or by updating the table schema. Datastream is designed for continuous change data capture with low latency, which is unnecessary and likely more expensive for a once-daily batch load. BigQuery Data Transfer Service does not support MySQL as a source, and Cloud SQL federated queries are for querying external data, not for loading it into BigQuery.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Datastream to stream changes from MySQL to BigQuery
Why it's wrong here
Datastream handles schema changes automatically and provides low-latency streaming with minimal manual intervention.
- ✗
Use BigQuery Data Transfer Service for MySQL
Why it's wrong here
BigQuery Data Transfer Service does not support MySQL as a source.
- ✓
Export MySQL data to CSV, upload to GCS, and use BigQuery load jobs
Why this is correct
This approach requires manual handling of schema changes and daily exports, which is more operational overhead.
- ✗
Use Cloud SQL federated query from BigQuery
Why it's wrong here
Federated queries are suitable for ad-hoc analysis but not for daily scheduled loads, and they may incur high costs for repeated queries.
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