Professional Data EngineerBuilding and operationalizing data processing systemsMedium
A large media company manages petabytes of video assets that are accessed frequently for the first 30 days after upload, then rarely (once a quarter or less) for the next 5 years, and finally almost never (once a year or less) for long-term archival. They need a cost-effective storage solution on Google Cloud that automatically transitions data between storage classes based on its age and access patterns, minimizing storage costs while ensuring availability when needed. Which Cloud Storage feature should they implement?
- AObject Lifecycle Management
- BObject Versioning
- CSigned URLs
- DCustomer-Supplied Encryption Keys
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Object Lifecycle Management
Cloud Storage Object Lifecycle Management allows you to define rules to automatically transition objects between storage classes (e.g., from Standard to Nearline to Coldline to Archive) or delete them based on conditions like age, versioning, or creation date. This is ideal for optimizing storage costs based on access patterns.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Object Versioning keeps multiple versions of an object, which increases storage costs, and doesn't address transitioning between storage classes.
- C. Signed URLs provide temporary access to objects, which is a security feature, not a storage cost optimization or lifecycle management tool.
- D. Customer-Supplied Encryption Keys (CSEK) manage encryption, which is a security feature, not related to storage class transitions or cost optimization based on access patterns.
Cloud Storage Object Lifecycle Management
A Cloud Storage feature that allows you to define rules to automatically perform actions on objects, such as changing their storage class or deleting them, based on conditions.
- Automates cost optimization by moving data to cheaper classes
- Rules can be based on age, creation date, number of versions, etc.
- Applies at the bucket level
Memory trick: Lifecycle management helps your objects gracefully age and save money.