- A
Create a reservation with 500 committed slots and another with 500 flex slots.
Why wrong: Flex slots are purchased in advance and are not automatically scaled.
- B
Use on-demand pricing with a maximum query cost limit.
Why wrong: On-demand does not guarantee slot capacity; it's not a reservation.
- C
Purchase 1000 committed use slots to ensure consistent capacity.
Why wrong: This would pay for 1000 slots always, not just during peaks, costing more.
- D
Create a reservation with 500 baseline slots and enable autoscaling up to 1000 slots.
This configuration provides baseline committed slots and on-demand autoscaling.
Question 61 of 1,000
PDE Maintaining and Automating Data Workloads Practice Question
This PDE practice question tests your understanding of maintaining and automating data workloads. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
You need to set up a BigQuery reservation that provides a baseline of 500 slots for daily workloads and can automatically scale up to 1000 slots during peak times. You want to pay only for the slots used beyond the baseline. Which reservation configuration should you choose?
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
✓
Create a reservation with 500 baseline slots and enable autoscaling up to 1000 slots.
Option D is correct because BigQuery reservations support baseline slots with autoscaling, which allows you to set a committed baseline of 500 slots and automatically scale up to 1000 slots during peak demand. You are billed only for the additional slots used beyond the baseline, which matches the requirement of paying only for slots used beyond the baseline.
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.
- ✗
Create a reservation with 500 committed slots and another with 500 flex slots.
Why it's wrong here
Flex slots are purchased in advance and are not automatically scaled.
- ✗
Use on-demand pricing with a maximum query cost limit.
Why it's wrong here
On-demand does not guarantee slot capacity; it's not a reservation.
- ✗
Purchase 1000 committed use slots to ensure consistent capacity.
Why it's wrong here
This would pay for 1000 slots always, not just during peaks, costing more.
- ✓
Create a reservation with 500 baseline slots and enable autoscaling up to 1000 slots.
Why this is correct
This configuration provides baseline committed slots and on-demand autoscaling.
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 distinction between flex slots (pre-purchased, always billed) and autoscaling (pay-per-use beyond baseline), leading candidates to incorrectly choose flex slots for variable workloads.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
BigQuery autoscaling works by automatically adding slots from a shared pool when the baseline reservation is fully utilized, up to the configured maximum. The billing model for autoscaling is based on the number of slots used per second, so you are charged only for the additional capacity consumed during peak periods, not for the entire maximum. This is distinct from flex slots, which are purchased as fixed, pre-allocated capacity and incur charges even if idle.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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.
- →
Maintaining and Automating Data Workloads — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Maintaining and Automating Data Workloads practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PDE questions
1,000 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Data Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PDE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PDE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Designing Data Processing Systems practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to Designing Data Processing Systems.
Ingesting and Processing the Data practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to Ingesting and Processing the Data.
Storing the Data practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to Storing the Data.
Preparing and Using Data for Analysis practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to Preparing and Using Data for Analysis.
Maintaining and Automating Data Workloads practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to Maintaining and Automating Data Workloads.
Building and operationalizing data processing systems practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to Building and operationalizing data processing systems.
Operationalizing machine learning models practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to Operationalizing machine learning models.
Ensuring solution quality practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to Ensuring solution quality.
PDE fundamentals practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to PDE fundamentals.
PDE scenario practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to PDE scenario.
PDE troubleshooting practice questions
Practise PDE questions linked to PDE troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free PDE practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PDE question test?
Maintaining and Automating Data Workloads — This question tests Maintaining and Automating Data Workloads — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a reservation with 500 baseline slots and enable autoscaling up to 1000 slots. — Option D is correct because BigQuery reservations support baseline slots with autoscaling, which allows you to set a committed baseline of 500 slots and automatically scale up to 1000 slots during peak demand. You are billed only for the additional slots used beyond the baseline, which matches the requirement of paying only for slots used beyond the baseline.
What should I do if I get this PDE 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 →
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PDE 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 PDE exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.