Google Associate Cloud EngineerPlanning and configuring a cloud solutionMedium

A small startup is developing a new mobile application that requires a database to store user profiles and application settings. The data access patterns are primarily key-value lookups, and the application needs very low latency and high throughput for millions of daily requests. Which Google Cloud data storage option should they choose?

  1. ACloud Spanner
  2. BCloud Bigtable
  3. CCloud Storage Standard
  4. DCloud SQL for PostgreSQL
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B. Cloud Bigtable

Cloud Bigtable is a wide-column NoSQL database designed for high throughput and low-latency access to large datasets, making it ideal for key-value lookups with millions of requests. Its schema-less nature is also suitable for evolving application settings.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Cloud Spanner is a globally distributed relational database, overkill and more expensive for simple key-value lookups, though it offers high availability and scalability.
  • C. Cloud Storage is an object storage service, not a database for structured or semi-structured application data.
  • D. Cloud SQL is a relational database, not optimized for millions of key-value lookups with ultra-low latency requirements at scale.

Cloud Bigtable

A fully managed, scalable NoSQL database service for large analytical and operational workloads. Optimized for high throughput and low latency at scale.

  • Wide-column NoSQL database
  • High throughput and low latency
  • Ideal for time-series data, IoT, and operational analytics

Memory trick: DATA (Database Type, Access Pattern, Throughput, Availability)

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