PDE Ingesting and Processing the Data Practice Question
A data engineer needs to transfer 5 PB of historical data from an on-premises Hadoop cluster to Cloud Storage. The network bandwidth is limited to 1 Gbps, and the transfer must complete within 30 days. Which transfer method should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may overestimate network transfer speeds or assume that cloud-native services like Storage Transfer Service can handle any volume, ignoring the fundamental bandwidth math that makes physical shipping the only viable option for 5 PB within 30 days.
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
✓
Transfer Appliance
The Transfer Appliance is a physical device designed for large-scale data transfers when network bandwidth is insufficient. With 5 PB of data and a 1 Gbps link, the theoretical maximum transfer time is over 500 days (5 PB × 8 bits/byte / 1 Gbps / 86400 seconds/day), far exceeding the 30-day window. The Transfer Appliance bypasses network constraints by shipping data physically to Google Cloud. Option A (gsutil rsync over the internet) is incorrect because it relies on the same 1 Gbps bandwidth, making it impossible to transfer 5 PB within 30 days. Option B (BigQuery Data Transfer Service) is designed for transferring data into BigQuery from cloud sources, not for large on-premises data transfers. Option C (Storage Transfer Service for on-premises) is intended for smaller or incremental transfers over a network, not for a 5 PB initial load within 30 days.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
gsutil rsync over the internet
Why it's wrong here
At 1 Gbps, 5 PB takes roughly 500 days, far exceeding the 30-day deadline. gsutil rsync suits incremental syncs over adequate bandwidth, not bulk petabyte migration. It tempts because it is the default CLI tool, but the volume and timeline demand a physical transfer appliance.
- ✗
BigQuery Data Transfer Service
Why it's wrong here
BigQuery Data Transfer Service schedules recurring loads into BigQuery from SaaS and Google sources; it cannot move 5 PB into Cloud Storage, nor does it address the 1 Gbps link. It is tempting because it automates managed transfers, and would be right for periodic ingestion of analytics data into BigQuery tables.
- ✗
Storage Transfer Service for on-premises
Why it's wrong here
Storage Transfer Service for on-premises still moves bytes over the same 1 Gbps link, so 5 PB would take far longer than 30 days. It is tempting because it is the managed agent-based tool for on-premises to Cloud Storage, and would be correct for smaller datasets or when bandwidth is not the constraint.
- ✓
Transfer Appliance
Why this is correct
Transfer Appliance is a physical, shippable device for offline bulk migration. At 5 PB over a 1 Gbps link, online transfer would take far longer than 30 days, so shipping appliances satisfies the bandwidth and deadline constraints.
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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.