This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring data protection. 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 uses Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP) to inspect sensitive data in Cloud Storage. They want to automatically redact credit card numbers found in text files before the files are accessed by downstream applications. Which DLP method should be used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use the DLP API's `content.deidentify` method with a `PrimitiveTransformation` of `replaceWithInfoType`.
Option A is correct because the DLP API's `content.deidentify` method with a `PrimitiveTransformation` of `replaceWithInfoType` is designed to automatically replace sensitive data (like credit card numbers) with their corresponding info type labels (e.g., `[CREDIT_CARD_NUMBER]`) in text files. This method operates on content in memory or from Cloud Storage, enabling automated redaction before downstream access, without requiring a separate job or manual intervention.
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 the DLP API's `content.deidentify` method with a `PrimitiveTransformation` of `replaceWithInfoType`.
Why this is correct
This method can redact sensitive data by replacing it with the info type name.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create a DLP job that uses the InspectJobConfig with a redact transformation.
Why it's wrong here
DLP jobs are for batch scanning, not real-time redaction during file access.
✗
Use Cloud DLP's inspect-only functionality and manually redact.
Why it's wrong here
Manual redaction is not automated and defeats the purpose.
✗
Set up a DLP inspection scan on the bucket with a `CryptoReplaceFfxFpe` transformation.
Why it's wrong here
This transformation is for tokenization, not redaction.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between inspection-only methods (which detect but do not modify) and deidentification methods (which transform data), and candidates may confuse DLP jobs (for scanning) with the `content.deidentify` API (for inline transformation), leading them to pick Option B or C.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `replaceWithInfoType` transformation uses the DLP's info type detector to match patterns like credit card numbers (Luhn algorithm validation) and replaces the matched value with a string like `[CREDIT_CARD_NUMBER]`, ensuring the original data is not exposed. Under the hood, the DLP API processes the content in a stateless manner, applying the transformation inline, which is ideal for real-time redaction in data pipelines or before serving files to applications. A subtle behavior is that `replaceWithInfoType` can be combined with other transformations in a `DeidentifyConfig` to handle multiple info types simultaneously, but it does not support partial redaction (e.g., masking only some digits) like `CharacterMaskConfig` would.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Ensuring data protection — This question tests Ensuring data protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use the DLP API's `content.deidentify` method with a `PrimitiveTransformation` of `replaceWithInfoType`. — Option A is correct because the DLP API's `content.deidentify` method with a `PrimitiveTransformation` of `replaceWithInfoType` is designed to automatically replace sensitive data (like credit card numbers) with their corresponding info type labels (e.g., `[CREDIT_CARD_NUMBER]`) in text files. This method operates on content in memory or from Cloud Storage, enabling automated redaction before downstream access, without requiring a separate job or manual intervention.
What should I do if I get this PCSE 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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