Google PCA Practice Question: Analyze and optimize technical and business processes
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of analyze and optimize technical and business processes. 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 data analytics team uses BigQuery to run large queries. They want to reduce query costs. Which three practices should they adopt? (Choose THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use clustered tables on commonly filtered columns
Option B is correct because clustering tables on commonly filtered columns in BigQuery allows the query engine to prune blocks of data that don't match the filter, reducing the amount of data scanned and thus lowering query costs. This is especially effective when combined with partitioning, as it further narrows the scan to relevant clusters within a partition.
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.
✗
Use query caching
Why it's wrong here
Caching is automatic for repeated queries but does not reduce cost on the first run.
✓
Use clustered tables on commonly filtered columns
Why this is correct
Clustering improves query performance and reduces cost by limiting scans.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Partition tables by date
Why this is correct
Partition pruning limits the data scanned.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create materialized views for frequent aggregations
Why this is correct
Materialized views precompute and store results, avoiding repeated scans.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Always use SELECT * to ensure all columns are available
Why it's wrong here
SELECT * scans all columns, increasing cost.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that query caching is a cost-reduction technique, but candidates must remember that caching only avoids reprocessing identical queries and does not reduce the cost of the initial query or queries with different filters.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
BigQuery charges based on the number of bytes processed by each query (for on-demand pricing). Partitioning by date allows the query engine to perform partition pruning, skipping entire partitions that fall outside the date range filter, while clustering sorts data within partitions based on the clustering columns, enabling block-level pruning via the metadata stored in the table's clustered column statistics. In a real-world scenario, a table with 10 TB of data partitioned by day and clustered on a frequently filtered 'customer_id' column can reduce query costs by over 90% compared to an unpartitioned, unclustered table.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Analyze and optimize technical and business processes — This question tests Analyze and optimize technical and business processes — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use clustered tables on commonly filtered columns — Option B is correct because clustering tables on commonly filtered columns in BigQuery allows the query engine to prune blocks of data that don't match the filter, reducing the amount of data scanned and thus lowering query costs. This is especially effective when combined with partitioning, as it further narrows the scan to relevant clusters within a partition.
What should I do if I get this PCA 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.
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Question Discussion
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