PDE Ingesting and Processing the Data Practice Question
A data engineer needs to perform a one-time migration of 10 TB of data from on-premises Hadoop HDFS to Cloud Storage. The network link is 1 Gbps. Which TWO services or tools should they consider? (Choose 2)
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
✓
Dataproc with DistCp
For a one-time migration of 10 TB from on-premises HDFS to Cloud Storage over a 1 Gbps link, the most appropriate services are Dataproc with DistCp and Transfer Appliance. Dataproc with DistCp is a proven method for copying data from HDFS to Cloud Storage, leveraging Apache Hadoop's distributed copy tool. Transfer Appliance is ideal for large data volumes when network bandwidth is limited, as it physically ships the data. Cloud Storage Transfer Service does not support HDFS as a source directly, so it is not suitable. gsutil rsync with parallel composite uploads could be used but would be slower and less efficient for this volume.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Dataproc with DistCp
Why this is correct
Dataproc with DistCp is a standard method to copy data from HDFS to Cloud Storage, using Hadoop's distributed copy tool for efficient parallel transfer.
- ✗
Cloud Storage Transfer Service
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Storage Transfer Service does not support HDFS as a source; it supports HTTP/HTTPS, S3, and other cloud storage endpoints, not on-premises HDFS.
- ✗
BigQuery Data Transfer Service
Why it's wrong here
BigQuery Data Transfer Service is used for loading data from SaaS applications (e.g., Google Ads, Google Play) into BigQuery, not for HDFS to Cloud Storage migration.
- ✗
gsutil rsync with parallel composite uploads
Why it's wrong here
gsutil rsync with parallel composite uploads can transfer data from on-premises to Cloud Storage, but for 10 TB and limited bandwidth it is less efficient than DistCp or Transfer Appliance.
- ✓
Transfer Appliance
Why this is correct
Transfer Appliance is a physical device that ships data from on-premises to Google Cloud, suitable for large datasets when network bandwidth is limited.
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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.