- A
Enable VPC Flow Logs and export them to Cloud Storage with a 7-year retention policy.
Why wrong: VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not SQL queries.
- B
Export logs to BigQuery with table expiration of 7 years and use IAM to restrict deletion.
Why wrong: BigQuery does not provide immutable storage; tables can be modified.
- C
Enable Data Access audit logs at the Cloud SQL instance level and export them to a separate Cloud Storage bucket with a 7-year retention policy.
Why wrong: Data Access audit logs can be enabled at the project level; instance-level is not required.
- D
Modify the log sink to include Data Access audit logs and update the Cloud Storage bucket to have a 7-year retention policy and object holds.
This ensures all audit logs are exported and immutable for the required period.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to modify the log sink to include Data Access audit logs and update the Cloud Storage bucket with a 7-year retention policy and object holds. This is necessary because the root cause is a mismatch between the log sink configuration and the audit log type: Cloud SQL SELECT queries are captured as Data Access audit logs, not Admin Activity logs, so the sink must be updated to export them. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the three audit log types—Admin Activity, Data Access, and System Event—and the common trap is assuming that enabling Data Access logs at the project level automatically exports them, when in fact a log sink must explicitly include them. For SOX audit logs immutability and retention, remember that a retention policy alone is insufficient; object holds prevent deletion or overwrite even by bucket owners. Memory tip: “Admin for actions, Data for data—if your sink misses Data, your audit will be late.”
PCSE Supporting compliance requirements Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of supporting compliance requirements. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 financial services company is migrating to Google Cloud and needs to meet SOX compliance. They have a production project containing a Cloud SQL instance with financial transactions. They must ensure that all database changes are logged, and logs are immutable for 7 years. They enabled Cloud Audit Logs for Cloud SQL and created a log sink to export Admin Activity logs to Cloud Storage. However, during a quarterly audit, the auditor cannot find logs for some SELECT queries that accessed sensitive columns. The company expected these SELECT queries to appear in audit logs because they enabled Data Access audit logs for Cloud SQL. You discover that the Data Access audit logs were enabled at the project level, but the log sink only exports Admin Activity logs. Additionally, auditors require that logs cannot be deleted before the retention period. What should you do?
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
Modify the log sink to include Data Access audit logs and update the Cloud Storage bucket to have a 7-year retention policy and object holds.
Option D is correct because the root cause is that the log sink is configured to export only Admin Activity logs, while the missing SELECT queries are Data Access audit logs. By modifying the log sink to include Data Access audit logs, those queries will be exported. Additionally, setting a 7-year retention policy and object holds on the Cloud Storage bucket ensures logs are immutable and cannot be deleted before the retention period ends, meeting SOX compliance requirements.
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.
- ✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs and export them to Cloud Storage with a 7-year retention policy.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not SQL queries.
- ✗
Export logs to BigQuery with table expiration of 7 years and use IAM to restrict deletion.
Why it's wrong here
BigQuery does not provide immutable storage; tables can be modified.
- ✗
Enable Data Access audit logs at the Cloud SQL instance level and export them to a separate Cloud Storage bucket with a 7-year retention policy.
Why it's wrong here
Data Access audit logs can be enabled at the project level; instance-level is not required.
- ✓
Modify the log sink to include Data Access audit logs and update the Cloud Storage bucket to have a 7-year retention policy and object holds.
Why this is correct
This ensures all audit logs are exported and immutable for the required period.
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 misconception that enabling audit logs at the resource level (e.g., Cloud SQL instance) is sufficient, when in fact the log sink export filter must be explicitly configured to include the desired log types, and immutability requires both retention policy and object holds on the storage destination.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Audit Logs in Google Cloud are categorized into Admin Activity, Data Access, and System Event logs. Data Access audit logs capture read operations like SELECT queries on Cloud SQL, but they must be explicitly enabled and included in the log sink filter to be exported. The log sink uses inclusion filters; if only Admin Activity is specified, Data Access logs are ignored. Object holds on Cloud Storage buckets prevent object deletion or overwrite until the hold is removed, providing immutability, while retention policies enforce a minimum retention period. In a real-world SOX audit, missing Data Access logs for SELECT queries on sensitive financial columns would be a critical finding, and the fix requires both sink filter adjustment and bucket-level immutability controls.
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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCSE question test?
Supporting compliance requirements — This question tests Supporting compliance requirements — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Modify the log sink to include Data Access audit logs and update the Cloud Storage bucket to have a 7-year retention policy and object holds. — Option D is correct because the root cause is that the log sink is configured to export only Admin Activity logs, while the missing SELECT queries are Data Access audit logs. By modifying the log sink to include Data Access audit logs, those queries will be exported. Additionally, setting a 7-year retention policy and object holds on the Cloud Storage bucket ensures logs are immutable and cannot be deleted before the retention period ends, meeting SOX compliance requirements.
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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on PCSE
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is using Cloud SQL for MySQL to store customer data subject to SOX compliance. They need to ensure that all database changes are audited and that logs are immutable. They have enabled audit logs and exported them to a Cloud Storage bucket. However, the auditor discovers that some logs were deleted from the bucket. What is the most likely cause?
hard- A.The log sink filter is excluding certain events, causing incomplete export.
- B.The bucket has retention policy enabled, which prevents deletion until the retention period expires.
- C.The service account used for export does not have the storage.objects.delete permission.
- ✓ D.The Cloud Storage bucket has a lifecycle rule that deletes objects after a set number of days.
Why D: Option D is correct because Cloud Storage lifecycle rules can automatically delete objects after a specified number of days. If a lifecycle rule is configured on the bucket, it would delete audit logs regardless of the export process, making them unavailable to the auditor. This is the most likely cause of logs being deleted from the bucket, as the other options do not explain actual deletion of already-exported objects.
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This PCSE 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 PCSE exam.
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