easyMultiple Choice
PDE Practice Question: A data engineer runs this Dataflow template to…
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
gcloud dataflow jobs run my-batch-job \
--gcs-location gs://dataflow-templates/latest/GCS_Text_to_BigQuery \
--parameters inputFilePattern=gs://my-bucket/input/*.csv,outputTable=my-project:my_dataset.my_table
```A data engineer runs this Dataflow template to load CSV files from Cloud Storage into BigQuery. The job fails with a 'File pattern not matching any files' error. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between file pattern matching errors and bucket-level errors, trapping candidates who confuse a missing subdirectory in the pattern with a misspelled bucket name.
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
✓
The CSV files are stored in a subdirectory that is not matched by the pattern
The error 'File pattern not matching any files' indicates that the file pattern specified in the Dataflow template does not resolve to any existing objects in Cloud Storage. If the CSV files are stored in a subdirectory (e.g., gs://bucket/subdir/*.csv) but the pattern only references the root (e.g., gs://bucket/*.csv), no files will be matched. This is the most likely cause because the pattern must explicitly include the subdirectory path.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The bucket name is incorrectly spelled
Why it's wrong here
A misspelt bucket name yields a bucket-not-found or access-denied error, not a pattern-matching failure; the pattern is evaluated against the bucket's object listing. It is tempting because typos are common, but the stem's error specifically concerns the file glob, not the bucket.
- ✓
The CSV files are stored in a subdirectory that is not matched by the pattern
Why this is correct
The pattern only matches files at the specified path level, so files nested in a subdirectory are never enumerated. Broadening the pattern to include the subdirectory prefix, or using a recursive wildcard, resolves the 'no files matched' failure.
- ✗
The template has a bug
Why it's wrong here
A template bug would affect every run, yet the error names a pattern matching no files — a runtime input problem, not code. Templates are maintained and tested by Google. This answer is tempting when the job previously worked, but the fault lies in the supplied parameters.
- ✗
The output table does not exist
Why it's wrong here
A missing output table produces a write or not-found error during loading, after files are already matched and read. It is tempting because BigQuery destinations are a frequent misconfiguration, but the failure occurs before any data reaches BigQuery, so the table's existence is irrelevant here.
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JA
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.