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PDE Practice Question: A gaming company uses Avro schemas for its…
A gaming company uses Avro schemas for its streaming event data. They anticipate adding new optional fields to events over time. They need to ensure backward compatibility so that existing pipelines continue to work. Which strategy should they adopt?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that any serialization format (like JSON or Protocol Buffers) inherently supports backward compatibility, but the key is the combination of a schema registry with enforced evolution rules, which only Avro explicitly provides in this context.
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
✓
Use Avro with a schema registry that enforces backward-compatible changes
Avro, combined with a schema registry, allows schema evolution with backward compatibility. The registry enforces rules such as adding optional fields with defaults, ensuring that consumers using older schemas can still deserialize new data without breaking. This directly addresses the requirement for existing pipelines to continue working as new optional fields are added.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use Avro with a schema registry that enforces backward-compatible changes
Why this is correct
Avro's schema evolution rules allow adding optional fields without breaking existing consumers, and a schema registry enables version management.
- ✗
Use JSON instead of Avro and ignore unknown fields
Why it's wrong here
JSON does not enforce schema validation, which can lead to data corruption and lack of structure.
- ✗
Use Protocol Buffers with breaking changes
Why it's wrong here
Breaking changes would break existing pipelines; Protocol Buffers require careful management of field numbers and compatibility.
- ✗
Use FlatBuffers for performance
Why it's wrong here
FlatBuffers are designed for memory efficiency but do not natively support schema evolution like Avro.
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