- A
Cloud Bigtable
Why wrong: Bigtable is NoSQL, not suitable for a relational SQL Server application.
- B
AlloyDB
Why wrong: AlloyDB is PostgreSQL-compatible, not SQL Server.
- C
Cloud Spanner
Why wrong: Spanner is not directly compatible with SQL Server and is overkill for lift-and-shift.
- D
Cloud SQL
Cloud SQL supports SQL Server 2019 and offers up to 64 TB storage.
Question 994 of 980
PCD Practice Question: Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of design scalable and highly available cloud database solutions. 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.
You need a managed database service for a lift-and-shift migration of an on-premises SQL Server 2019 OLTP application with up to 64 TB of data. Which Google Cloud database should you choose?
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
✓
Cloud SQL
Cloud SQL is the correct choice because it supports SQL Server 2019, provides managed database services with up to 64 TB of storage (via the Enterprise Plus tier with 64 TB SSD capacity), and is ideal for lift-and-shift migrations of OLTP workloads without requiring application changes. It offers high availability, automated backups, and compatibility with SQL Server features like T-SQL and linked servers, making it a direct replacement for on-premises SQL Server.
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.
- ✗
Cloud Bigtable
Why it's wrong here
Bigtable is NoSQL, not suitable for a relational SQL Server application.
- ✗
AlloyDB
Why it's wrong here
AlloyDB is PostgreSQL-compatible, not SQL Server.
- ✗
Cloud Spanner
Why it's wrong here
Spanner is not directly compatible with SQL Server and is overkill for lift-and-shift.
- ✓
Cloud SQL
Why this is correct
Cloud SQL supports SQL Server 2019 and offers up to 64 TB storage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Cloud Spanner's global scalability with a general-purpose relational database, but the question specifies a lift-and-shift migration of SQL Server 2019, which requires native SQL Server compatibility that only Cloud SQL provides among the options.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL for SQL Server supports up to 64 TB of storage using the Enterprise Plus edition with SSD persistent disks, and it provides automated patching, point-in-time recovery, and read replicas. Under the hood, Cloud SQL uses a managed SQL Server instance with a dedicated SQL Server process, and it supports features like Always On availability groups for high availability, but it does not support distributed transactions across multiple databases or global replication like Spanner. A real-world scenario is migrating a legacy on-premises SQL Server 2019 ERP system to Cloud SQL, where the application uses T-SQL stored procedures and linked servers to other SQL Server instances, requiring minimal code changes.
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 PCD question test?
Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions — This question tests Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud SQL — Cloud SQL is the correct choice because it supports SQL Server 2019, provides managed database services with up to 64 TB of storage (via the Enterprise Plus tier with 64 TB SSD capacity), and is ideal for lift-and-shift migrations of OLTP workloads without requiring application changes. It offers high availability, automated backups, and compatibility with SQL Server features like T-SQL and linked servers, making it a direct replacement for on-premises SQL Server.
What should I do if I get this PCD 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: Jul 4, 2026
This PCD 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 PCD exam.
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