- A
AlloyDB
AlloyDB supports IAM for authentication and authorization.
- B
Bigtable
Why wrong: Bigtable supports IAM at the instance/table level but is not a relational database and does not support SQL access control.
- C
Cloud SQL for MySQL
Cloud SQL supports IAM database authentication for MySQL, enabling fine-grained access control.
- D
Firestore
Why wrong: Firestore supports IAM but is a NoSQL document database, not relational.
- E
Cloud Spanner
Spanner integrates with IAM for database-level roles and permissions.
Question 83 of 1,000
PCDOE Design and Plan Database Solutions Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of design and plan 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.
A company is migrating a monolithic application to a microservices architecture. The existing relational MySQL database has a large table with sensitive PII data that must be encrypted at rest and accessed only by authorized services. The team wants to use a managed Google Cloud database service that supports IAM integration for fine-grained access control. Which THREE services meet these requirements? (Choose three.)
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
✓
AlloyDB
AlloyDB is a fully managed PostgreSQL-compatible database service that supports IAM integration for fine-grained access control and provides encryption at rest by default using Google-managed or customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK). It meets the requirements for a managed relational database with strong security controls, making it suitable for migrating from MySQL while handling sensitive PII data.
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.
- ✓
AlloyDB
Why this is correct
AlloyDB supports IAM for authentication and authorization.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Bigtable
Why it's wrong here
Bigtable supports IAM at the instance/table level but is not a relational database and does not support SQL access control.
- ✓
Cloud SQL for MySQL
Why this is correct
Cloud SQL supports IAM database authentication for MySQL, enabling fine-grained access control.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Firestore
Why it's wrong here
Firestore supports IAM but is a NoSQL document database, not relational.
- ✓
Cloud Spanner
Why this is correct
Spanner integrates with IAM for database-level roles and permissions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that all managed database services support fine-grained IAM access control and encryption at rest equally, but Bigtable and Firestore lack relational capabilities and the specific IAM integration for row-level or column-level PII access required in this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL for MySQL provides encryption at rest using AES-256 with Google-managed or CMEK keys and integrates with IAM for database-level access control via Cloud SQL IAM database authentication, allowing fine-grained permissions for authorized services. Cloud Spanner offers global consistency, horizontal scaling, and encryption at rest with IAM roles for access control, but it uses a proprietary SQL dialect and may require schema changes from MySQL. AlloyDB uses PostgreSQL-compatible syntax, making migration easier, and supports IAM-based authentication and column-level security via row-level security policies.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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 PCDOE question test?
Design and Plan Database Solutions — This question tests Design and Plan Database Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AlloyDB — AlloyDB is a fully managed PostgreSQL-compatible database service that supports IAM integration for fine-grained access control and provides encryption at rest by default using Google-managed or customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK). It meets the requirements for a managed relational database with strong security controls, making it suitable for migrating from MySQL while handling sensitive PII data.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE 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
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCDOE 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 PCDOE exam.
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