The answer is to set an organization policy with the constraint `gcp.resourceLocations` to restrict resource creation to EU regions. This is correct because this organization policy constraint acts as a proactive, API-level guardrail that denies any attempt to create a Cloud Storage bucket or BigQuery dataset outside of allowed locations, such as `europe-west1` or `europe-west4`. For the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to enforce data residency with organization policy resource locations, a key concept for GDPR compliance. A common trap is to rely on IAM permissions or bucket-level retention policies, which only react to data after it exists, rather than preventing non-compliant resource creation at the source. Remember the memory tip: “Policy before provision” — organization policies are the only way to enforce location constraints before a resource is even created, making them the definitive tool for proactive data residency control.
PCSE Ensuring data protection Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring data protection. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 multinational organization must ensure that data for European users is stored only within the European Union to comply with GDPR. They use Cloud Storage and BigQuery. Which design should they implement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set an organization policy with constraints/gcp.resourceLocations to restrict resource creation to EU regions.
Option C is correct because the organization policy constraint `gcp/resourceLocations` is the only design that proactively prevents data from being stored outside the EU. By setting this constraint to allow only EU regions (e.g., `europe-west1`, `europe-west4`), any attempt to create a Cloud Storage bucket or BigQuery dataset in a non-EU region will be denied at the API level, ensuring GDPR compliance by design.
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 Cloud DLP to inspect and tag data for European origin.
Why it's wrong here
DLP does not enforce where data is stored.
✗
Use VPC Service Controls to create a perimeter around European resources.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Service Controls prevent exfiltration but do not enforce storage location.
✓
Set an organization policy with constraints/gcp.resourceLocations to restrict resource creation to EU regions.
Why this is correct
Organization policies can enforce that resources like buckets and datasets are created only in allowed locations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Cloud Armor with geo-based access control to restrict access from non-EU locations.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Armor controls access to applications, not storage location of data.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between data access control and data residency enforcement; the trap here is confusing geo-based access controls (Cloud Armor) or data exfiltration prevention (VPC Service Controls) with the ability to restrict where data is physically stored, which requires a resource location policy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `gcp/resourceLocations` constraint is part of Google Cloud's Organization Policy Service and uses a `ListConstraint` to define allowed locations. When applied, it intercepts resource creation calls (e.g., `storage.buckets.create`, `bigquery.datasets.create`) and validates the location against the allowed list, rejecting requests that specify a disallowed region. This constraint can be set at the organization, folder, or project level, and it supports both `allowedValues` and `deniedValues` lists, enabling granular control over data residency.
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: Set an organization policy with constraints/gcp.resourceLocations to restrict resource creation to EU regions. — Option C is correct because the organization policy constraint `gcp/resourceLocations` is the only design that proactively prevents data from being stored outside the EU. By setting this constraint to allow only EU regions (e.g., `europe-west1`, `europe-west4`), any attempt to create a Cloud Storage bucket or BigQuery dataset in a non-EU region will be denied at the API level, ensuring GDPR compliance by design.
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
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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 multinational organization must store customer data only in specific geographic regions to comply with data residency regulations. They use Cloud Spanner for their primary database. What should they do to enforce that data is stored only in approved regions?
easy
✓ A.Apply an organization policy with a constraint that restricts the location of Cloud Spanner resources to approved regions.
B.Create a Cloud Spanner instance in the desired region and configure a backup in a different region for disaster recovery.
C.Configure a VPC Service Controls perimeter to restrict access to Cloud Spanner.
D.Use Cloud Spanner with data residency constraints by selecting a multi-region configuration that includes only approved regions.
Why A: Organization policies with resource location constraints allow you to enforce that Cloud Spanner instances are created only in approved geographic regions. This policy is evaluated at resource creation time and prevents the deployment of Spanner instances outside the specified regions, directly addressing data residency compliance requirements.
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Question Discussion
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