PCDOE Implementing service monitoring strategies Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of implementing service monitoring strategies. 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.
Which TWO options are valid methods to create a custom metric descriptor in Cloud Monitoring?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Using the gcloud commands: gcloud monitoring metrics create
Option B is correct because the `gcloud monitoring metrics create` command directly invokes the Cloud Monitoring API to create a custom metric descriptor. Option E is correct because the Cloud Monitoring API's `CreateMetricDescriptor` method is the programmatic way to define a custom metric, specifying its type, unit, and labels. Both methods result in a new metric descriptor being registered in the project's metric store.
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.
✗
Creating a log-based metric
Why it's wrong here
Log-based metrics create metrics from logs, but they are not custom metric descriptors.
✓
Using the gcloud commands: gcloud monitoring metrics create
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Using Terraform resource google_monitoring_metric_descriptor
Why it's wrong here
Terraform can create descriptors, but the question asks for exactly two, and the most common are API and gcloud.
✗
Deploying a Prometheus exporter with the Ops Agent
Why it's wrong here
This collects metrics but does not create a metric descriptor.
✓
Using the Cloud Monitoring API CreateMetricDescriptor
Why this is correct
API allows programmatic creation of custom metric descriptors.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between creating a metric descriptor (the schema) and writing metric data (time series); candidates confuse log-based metrics (which auto-create a descriptor) with the explicit creation of a custom descriptor, or assume that any tool that produces metrics (like Prometheus exporters) directly creates a descriptor, when in fact the Ops Agent handles descriptor creation automatically for Prometheus endpoints.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A custom metric descriptor in Cloud Monitoring is defined by a metric type string (e.g., `custom.googleapis.com/my_metric`), a unit (e.g., `1` for count), and optional labels. The `CreateMetricDescriptor` API call registers this descriptor in the project's metric store, after which time series data can be written to it. Under the hood, the descriptor is stored in a global resource hierarchy and must be unique per project; attempting to create a duplicate type string returns an `ALREADY_EXISTS` error.
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.
Implementing service monitoring strategies — This question tests Implementing service monitoring strategies — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Using the gcloud commands: gcloud monitoring metrics create — Option B is correct because the `gcloud monitoring metrics create` command directly invokes the Cloud Monitoring API to create a custom metric descriptor. Option E is correct because the Cloud Monitoring API's `CreateMetricDescriptor` method is the programmatic way to define a custom metric, specifying its type, unit, and labels. Both methods result in a new metric descriptor being registered in the project's metric store.
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.
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Question Discussion
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