mediumMultiple Choice
PDE Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"bindings": [
{
"role": "roles/bigquery.dataViewer",
"members": [
"user:analyst@example.com"
]
},
{
"role": "roles/bigquery.metadataviewer",
"members": [
"user:analyst@example.com"
]
}
],
"etag": "BwXX2Yz7k0Q="
}Refer to the exhibit. A BigQuery dataset has the IAM policy shown above. An analyst is trying to run a SELECT query on a table in this dataset but receives an 'Access Denied' error. What is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between metadata-viewing roles and data-reading roles, trapping candidates who assume that being able to see table names and schemas implies permission to query the data.
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 analyst only has the roles/bigquery.metadataviewer role, which does not allow reading table data.
The roles/bigquery.metadataviewer role grants permissions to view table and dataset metadata (e.g., table names, schemas) but does not include the bigquery.tables.getData permission required to read table rows. Therefore, when the analyst runs a SELECT query, BigQuery denies access because the role lacks the data-reading privilege. This is the most likely reason for the 'Access Denied' error.
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 analyst does not have permission to list datasets in the project.
Why it's wrong here
The analyst does not have permission to list datasets in the project. This is incorrect because the roles/bigquery.metadataviewer does allow listing datasets and viewing metadata, but the error is about reading table data, not listing.
- ✓
The analyst only has the roles/bigquery.metadataviewer role, which does not allow reading table data.
Why this is correct
The roles/bigquery.metadataviewer role grants read access to dataset and table metadata only, not to the underlying rows. Running SELECT requires roles/bigquery.dataViewer, so the analyst can list the table but cannot read its data, producing the Access Denied error.
- ✗
The table is in a different region than the dataset, and the analyst's query is not cross-region compatible.
Why it's wrong here
The table is in a different region than the dataset, and the analyst's query is not cross-region compatible. This is incorrect because BigQuery supports cross-region queries when the dataset is configured appropriately, and this is not a typical 'Access Denied' error.
- ✗
The analyst has not been granted the 'bigquery.jobs.create' permission to run queries.
Why it's wrong here
The IAM policy grants dataset-level roles, but query execution requires the bigquery.jobs.create permission at the project level, which dataset IAM cannot confer. Tempting because analysts often assume dataset access alone suffices, yet job creation is always a project-scoped permission.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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