- A
Cloud Bigtable
Bigtable is the correct choice: wide-column NoSQL, designed for time-series and IoT workloads, single-digit ms latency, and scales to millions of QPS with additional nodes.
- B
BigQuery
Why wrong: BigQuery is an analytics data warehouse with query latency measured in seconds. It is not designed for millisecond lookups at IoT scale.
- C
Cloud Spanner
Why wrong: Spanner is a globally distributed relational database optimised for ACID transactions, not single-digit ms time-series reads at millions of QPS.
- D
Firestore
Why wrong: Firestore is a document database suited for mobile/web apps with hierarchical data. It does not scale to millions of QPS for time-series workloads.
Question 586 of 1,000
PDE Storing the Data Practice Question
This PDE practice question tests your understanding of storing the data. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 needs to store petabytes of time-series IoT sensor data and query it with single-digit millisecond latency at millions of reads per second. The data has a simple key-value structure with timestamps. Which Google Cloud database is MOST appropriate?
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
✓
Cloud Bigtable
Cloud Bigtable is a fully managed, scalable NoSQL database designed for large analytical and operational workloads, handling petabytes of data with consistent sub-10ms latency at millions of reads per second. Its key-value storage model and automatic sharding make it ideal for time-series IoT sensor data with simple timestamp-based keys, supporting high-throughput, low-latency access without the overhead of relational features.
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.
- ✓
Cloud Bigtable
Why this is correct
Bigtable is the correct choice: wide-column NoSQL, designed for time-series and IoT workloads, single-digit ms latency, and scales to millions of QPS with additional nodes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
BigQuery
Why it's wrong here
BigQuery is an analytics data warehouse with query latency measured in seconds. It is not designed for millisecond lookups at IoT scale.
- ✗
Cloud Spanner
Why it's wrong here
Spanner is a globally distributed relational database optimised for ACID transactions, not single-digit ms time-series reads at millions of QPS.
- ✗
Firestore
Why it's wrong here
Firestore is a document database suited for mobile/web apps with hierarchical data. It does not scale to millions of QPS for time-series workloads.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is assuming that 'petabytes of data' automatically means BigQuery, ignoring the critical requirement for single-digit millisecond latency at millions of reads per second. BigQuery is an analytical warehouse optimized for large-scale analytics, not for sub-10ms point lookups.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Bigtable uses a distributed, sorted key-value store based on Google's Bigtable paper, where data is partitioned into tablets and stored on Colossus (GFS) with SSTables for efficient compression and range scans. Its underlying storage engine leverages LSM-tree (Log-Structured Merge-tree) architecture, enabling high write throughput and fast point lookups by row key, which is critical for IoT sensor data where each device ID plus timestamp forms a natural row key. In real-world scenarios, companies like Spotify use Bigtable to store 100+ petabytes of listening history, achieving consistent p99 latencies under 10ms for key-based lookups.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Storing the Data — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PDE question test?
Storing the Data — This question tests Storing the Data — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud Bigtable — Cloud Bigtable is a fully managed, scalable NoSQL database designed for large analytical and operational workloads, handling petabytes of data with consistent sub-10ms latency at millions of reads per second. Its key-value storage model and automatic sharding make it ideal for time-series IoT sensor data with simple timestamp-based keys, supporting high-throughput, low-latency access without the overhead of relational features.
What should I do if I get this PDE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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