easyMultiple Choice
PDE Practice Question: A company stores raw data files in Cloud Storage…
A company stores raw data files in Cloud Storage in a bucket named 'raw-data'. After processing, the files are moved to a 'processed' bucket. To reduce costs, they want to automatically delete raw data older than 30 days. What should they do?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse lifecycle deletion rules with retention policies or versioning: candidates often think retention policies delete data after a period, but they actually prevent deletion, while versioning with noncurrent deletion only removes old versions, not the current object.
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
✓
Configure a lifecycle rule on the 'raw-data' bucket to delete objects older than 30 days.
Cloud Storage lifecycle management allows you to set a rule that automatically deletes objects after a specified number of days from their creation time. By configuring a lifecycle rule on the 'raw-data' bucket to delete objects older than 30 days, the company can achieve cost reduction without manual intervention. This directly addresses the requirement to remove raw data files that have been processed and are no longer needed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable object versioning on the 'raw-data' bucket and configure a lifecycle rule to delete noncurrent versions.
Why it's wrong here
Enabling object versioning allows you to keep multiple versions, but to delete the current version after 30 days, a lifecycle rule that deletes objects based on age would be needed. However, deleting noncurrent versions does not affect the current version, so this does not meet the requirement.
- ✓
Configure a lifecycle rule on the 'raw-data' bucket to delete objects older than 30 days.
Why this is correct
A Cloud Storage lifecycle rule with an Age condition of 30 days automatically deletes objects in the 'raw-data' bucket, matching the stated retention requirement. This is server-side, bucket-level management, so no pipeline code, cron job or manual intervention is needed.
- ✗
Set a retention policy on the 'raw-data' bucket to expire objects after 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
A bucket retention policy prevents deletion until the retention period elapses; it does not delete objects after 30 days. It is tempting because both govern object lifetime, but retention is for compliance holds. An Object Lifecycle Management rule with an age condition of 30 days performs the deletion required.
- ✗
Use a bucket policy that denies read access to objects older than 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
A bucket policy only governs access permissions; it cannot delete objects, so the data remains stored and billed. Lifecycle rules are the mechanism that expires objects after a set age. Bucket policies suit restricting public access or enforcing encryption, not cost-driven retention.
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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.