Google Cloud Digital LeaderInfrastructure modernization with Google CloudEasy
A global financial institution needs to store vast amounts of historical transaction data, which is accessed infrequently (once a quarter for regulatory audits) but must be retained for seven years. Data retrieval time is not critical, but cost-effectiveness is a primary concern for this petabyte-scale data. Which Google Cloud Storage class is most appropriate for this use case?
- AColdline storage
- BStandard storage
- CNearline storage
- DArchive storage
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Archive storage
Archive storage is designed for long-term retention of data that is accessed very infrequently (less than once a year) and can tolerate slightly longer retrieval times, making it the most cost-effective solution for this scenario. Nearline and Coldline are for more frequent access patterns, and Standard is for active data.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Coldline storage is for data accessed less than once a quarter, but Archive is even more cost-effective for yearly or less frequent access.
- B. Standard storage is for frequently accessed 'hot' data, which is too expensive for infrequent access.
- C. Nearline storage is for data accessed less than once a month, which is still too frequent and costly for quarterly access.
Google Cloud Storage Archive storage
A highly cost-effective storage class for long-term data archiving with very infrequent access (less than once a year). It is ideal for regulatory compliance, disaster recovery, and digital preservation.
- Lowest cost storage class
- High availability and durability
- Designed for access less than once a year
- Retrieval times are generally longer than other classes
Memory trick: Storage classes: 'Standard' for speed, 'Nearline' for monthly, 'Coldline' for quarterly, 'Archive' for forever.