- A
Delete old records from the database to free space — no instance changes needed
Why wrong: Deleting records frees logical space that PostgreSQL must then VACUUM to reclaim — this is slow and risky for critical production data. Increasing storage is the immediate fix.
- B
Increase storage capacity using `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[NEW_SIZE]` without downtime
Cloud SQL supports online storage capacity increases via `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[GB]`. The operation completes without instance restart or downtime.
- C
Create a new larger Cloud SQL instance and migrate data with Cloud Database Migration Service
Why wrong: Database migration is a multi-hour process — not the fastest response to an imminent disk-full emergency. In-place storage expansion is faster and simpler.
- D
Enable automatic storage increase and wait — Cloud SQL will expand the disk retroactively
Why wrong: Enabling automatic storage increase prevents future alerts but doesn't immediately expand the current disk if already at 90% — a manual increase is still needed for the current situation.
Quick Answer
The answer is to increase storage capacity using `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[NEW_SIZE]`, which allows you to increase Cloud SQL storage without downtime. This is correct because Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL supports online storage resizing, meaning the instance remains fully operational during the operation—the disk is expanded live without requiring a restart or maintenance window. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Cloud SQL’s live migration and storage scaling capabilities, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly think they must stop the instance or enable automated increases first. A common memory tip: think of Cloud SQL storage as a “hot-swappable” hard drive—you can plug in more space while the server is running, so always reach for the `gcloud sql instances patch` command when you need a fast, safe fix. Remember: “Patch it, don’t stop it.”
Google ACE Practice Question: Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A team's Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance is running out of disk space. Automated storage increase is disabled. A monitoring alert fires at 90% disk usage. What is the fastest safe action to increase storage?
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
Increase storage capacity using `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[NEW_SIZE]` without downtime
Option B is correct because Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL supports online storage resizing without downtime. Using `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[NEW_SIZE]` allows you to increase the allocated disk capacity while the instance remains fully operational, making it the fastest safe action when automated storage increase is disabled.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Delete old records from the database to free space — no instance changes needed
Why it's wrong here
Deleting records frees logical space that PostgreSQL must then VACUUM to reclaim — this is slow and risky for critical production data. Increasing storage is the immediate fix.
- ✓
Increase storage capacity using `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[NEW_SIZE]` without downtime
Why this is correct
Cloud SQL supports online storage capacity increases via `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[GB]`. The operation completes without instance restart or downtime.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a new larger Cloud SQL instance and migrate data with Cloud Database Migration Service
Why it's wrong here
Database migration is a multi-hour process — not the fastest response to an imminent disk-full emergency. In-place storage expansion is faster and simpler.
- ✗
Enable automatic storage increase and wait — Cloud SQL will expand the disk retroactively
Why it's wrong here
Enabling automatic storage increase prevents future alerts but doesn't immediately expand the current disk if already at 90% — a manual increase is still needed for the current situation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that deleting data frees up provisioned storage in managed database services, when in fact the allocated disk size remains unchanged and must be explicitly increased via a resize operation.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Enabling automatic storage increase prevents future alerts but doesn't immediately expand the current disk if already at 90% — a manual increase is still needed for the current situation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL uses persistent disks that can be resized online up to a maximum of 30 TB, with the resize operation typically completing in minutes. The `gcloud sql instances patch` command triggers a metadata update that expands the underlying disk without requiring a restart, leveraging the live resize capability of Google Compute Engine persistent disks. In a real-world scenario, if the database is under heavy write load, the resize may take slightly longer but still avoids any connection drops or query failures.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution — This question tests Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase storage capacity using `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[NEW_SIZE]` without downtime — Option B is correct because Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL supports online storage resizing without downtime. Using `gcloud sql instances patch --storage-size=[NEW_SIZE]` allows you to increase the allocated disk capacity while the instance remains fully operational, making it the fastest safe action when automated storage increase is disabled.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This ACE 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 ACE exam.
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