- A
Bigtable with cluster replication
Why wrong: Eventually consistent, not ACID.
- B
Firestore in multi-region mode
Why wrong: Eventual consistency in multi-region; not suitable for strong consistency inventory.
- C
Cloud Spanner multi-region instance
Correct: global distribution, strong consistency, ACID, horizontal scaling.
- D
Cloud SQL with cross-region replicas
Why wrong: Cross-region replicas are asynchronous, so writes to primary are not immediately consistent globally.
Question 876 of 980
Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
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. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 to design a database for a global inventory management system that requires strong consistency across regions and can handle millions of updates per day. The system must maintain ACID transactions across multiple warehouses. Which database service and configuration would 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 Spanner multi-region instance
Cloud Spanner is the only Google Cloud database service that provides ACID transactions across regions with strong external consistency, making it ideal for a global inventory system requiring millions of updates per day. Its multi-region instance configuration uses synchronous replication and the TrueTime API to ensure linearizable transactions, meeting the need for strong consistency across warehouses.
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.
- ✗
Bigtable with cluster replication
Why it's wrong here
Eventually consistent, not ACID.
- ✗
Firestore in multi-region mode
Why it's wrong here
Eventual consistency in multi-region; not suitable for strong consistency inventory.
- ✓
Cloud Spanner multi-region instance
Why this is correct
Correct: global distribution, strong consistency, ACID, horizontal scaling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Cloud SQL with cross-region replicas
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region replicas are asynchronous, so writes to primary are not immediately consistent globally.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that any multi-region database with replication can provide strong consistency, but the trap is that only Cloud Spanner offers synchronous replication with ACID transactions across regions, while services like Cloud SQL replicas use asynchronous replication and cannot guarantee consistency.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Spanner achieves global ACID transactions using TrueTime, a globally synchronized clock that provides bounded clock uncertainty, enabling external consistency (linearizability). Multi-region instances use Paxos-based synchronous replication across zones, ensuring that all writes are committed to a quorum before acknowledging the client, which is critical for inventory systems where stock levels must be accurate across continents.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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 Spanner multi-region instance — Cloud Spanner is the only Google Cloud database service that provides ACID transactions across regions with strong external consistency, making it ideal for a global inventory system requiring millions of updates per day. Its multi-region instance configuration uses synchronous replication and the TrueTime API to ensure linearizable transactions, meeting the need for strong consistency across warehouses.
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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