DainQ

My Take on Google Database Certification Engineer Exam

Written by:

Anupam Phoghat

Introduction: 

The world of cloud computing is continuously evolving, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) remains at the forefront of this transformation. If you’re looking to validate your skills as a database engineer on GCP, the Google Cloud Database Engineer certification is a testament to your expertise in managing and optimising databases in the cloud. 

Last month I sat for this latest addition to the Google Cloud Professional certifications exam list, just because I want to catch them all and this was my 8th certification out of 11 available. In this blog, I will share my experience, the strategy and resources that might be helpful to achieve the certification. We’ll take a comprehensive look at the exam, what to expect, and how to prepare for success.

About the Certification:

The Google Cloud Database Engineer exam (Professional-Database Engineer) is designed to assess your proficiency in designing, deploying, and maintaining highly available and secure database solutions on Google Cloud. It is one of Google Cloud’s professional-level certifications and is intended for individuals with substantial experience in database management.

The Professional Cloud Database Engineer exam assesses your ability to:

  • Design scalable and highly available cloud database solutions
  • Manage a solution that can span multiple database solutions
  • Migrate data solutions
  • Deploy scalable and highly available databases in Google Cloud

Key Exam Details:

Just like all the other Google Cloud professional certification exams, except Workspace Administrator:

  • Format: The exam is offered in a multiple-choice format, with multiple-select questions and case studies.
  • Duration: You have 2 hours to complete the exam.
  • Number of questions: You can expect 50 questions to be answered within the given time.
  • Passing Score: To pass the exam, you need to score 80% or higher.
  • Registration and Fee: The fee for the exam is USD200.

Exam Domains: 

The Google Cloud Database Engineer exam is divided into several domains, each with its own weightage. Here’s an overview of the key domains you should focus on:

  • Database Architecture and Design (30%): This domain assesses your ability to design databases that meet business requirements. Topics include schema design, indexing, and partitioning.
  • Database Operations (25%): This section evaluates your knowledge of database administration, including backups, restores, and monitoring.
  • Database Security (15%): You’ll need to demonstrate your expertise in securing databases, including encryption, authentication, and access control.
  • Database Migration (10%): This domain covers migrating on-premises databases to Google Cloud.
  • Resource Management (10%): You should be proficient in resource management, including scaling and optimising databases for cost efficiency.
  • Performance Tuning and Optimization (10%): This section focuses on your ability to identify and resolve database performance issues.

My Experience:

I felt that the Professional Cloud database Engineer exam is the easiest of the lot from the list of all the professional level Google Exams. I took approximately 75 minutes to answer all the 50 questions, including one round of review. I don’t come from a database administrator background however I have a deep understanding of Google Cloud database services and use cases where they might fit best.

I believe the fact that I have been tinkering around Google Cloud services for the past 6 years and am very well versed in core Google Cloud concepts like storage, IAM, networking, compute, etc., years turned out to be beneficial. This ensured that my work experience also contributed to the knowledge base I possess which helped me with understanding Google Cloud at a detailed level. I had also done the Professional Data Engineer exam, there was definitely some overlap in knowledge from there too. 

I generally found the content to be very much on point, covering a spectrum of database topics. For example:

  • How do you ensure private connectivity
  • how is failover implemented
  • how should you plan for disaster recovery
  • how is backup implemented 

The next set of questions was from a migration perspective and Database Migration Service (DMS). Most of the questions were pretty much straightforward.

How I Prepared For The Exam:

I had not been preparing for this exam at all but wanted to test out how I would fare with the knowledge gained with my experience. So from a preparation point of view what helped me?

  • The Google Cloud Professional Cloud Database Engineer page that provided me with an overview of the exam and what is required to complete the certification.
  • Understand what the exam is all about by going through the exam guide.
  • Knowledge I gained from my work experience
  • Preparation for Professional Data Engineer exam

Tackle The Exam:

Here are the topics that you should be focussing on to prepare for the exam and tips to be exam ready.

Exam Topics:

The Google Database Engineer exam tests your knowledge of database design, administration, and performance optimization. If you are preparing for this exam, here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Make sure you have a strong understanding of database fundamentals. This includes topics such as database normalisation, ACID transactions, and database concurrency control.
  • Be familiar with the different types of databases available. This includes relational databases, NoSQL databases, and graph databases.
    • Understand which databases to use in certain situations covering things like: latency tradeoffs, Relational vs Non-Relational, OLTP vs OLAP etc.
    • HA/replica topologies both for Cloud SQL and Cloud Spanner
  • Understand the different database technologies that Google uses. This includes MySQL, PostgreSQL, Bigtable, and Spanner.
    • Database IAM best practices
  • Be able to design and optimise databases for different workloads. This includes designing databases for OLTP, OLAP, and mixed workloads.
  • Be able to troubleshoot and resolve database performance problems. This includes understanding the different types of performance problems that can occur and how to resolve them.

Some specific topics that you should focus on when preparing for the Google Database Engineer exam:

  • Database design: This includes topics such as database normalisation, entity-relationship diagrams (ERDs), and database schemas.
  • Database administration: This includes topics such as database installation and configuration, data backup and recovery, and database performance monitoring.
  • Database performance optimization: This includes topics such as database indexing, database partitioning, and database query optimization.
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP) database services: This includes topics such as Cloud SQL, Cloud Bigtable, and Cloud Spanner.

In addition to the above topics, you should also be familiar with the following:

  • SQL: This is the standard language for querying and manipulating relational databases.
  • NoSQL: This is a term used to describe a variety of non-relational databases.
  • Graph databases: This is a type of database that is designed for storing and querying graph data.
  • Cloud computing: This is a model of computing in which resources are delivered as a service over the internet.

Preparation Tips:

  • Review Official Documentation: Google Cloud offers extensive documentation and whitepapers on database topics. Familiarise yourself with these resources, especially those related to Cloud SQL, Cloud Spanner, and Bigtable.
  • Hands-On Experience: Practical experience is invaluable. Create and manage databases on Google Cloud, implement security measures, and optimise database performance.
  • Online Courses: Consider enrolling in online courses and tutorials offered by Google Cloud or third-party providers. These courses often cover exam objectives in-depth. Considering that this exam is fairly new, there might not be a lot of options available.
  • Practice Exams: Take practice exams to get a feel for the exam format and to identify areas where you may need more study.

Resources:

Conclusion:

Earning the Google Cloud Database Engineer certification is a significant achievement that can open doors to exciting career opportunities. It demonstrates your expertise in managing databases on Google Cloud, a skill set that is in high demand as organisations continue to migrate their infrastructure to the cloud.

By thoroughly preparing and reviewing the exam domains, you’ll be well on your way to success. Whether you’re an experienced database engineer or aspiring to become one, this certification is a valuable asset in your professional journey. So, get ready to showcase your skills and become a certified Google Cloud Database Engineer!

“No technical certification in the world will be useful for you if you don’t know how to implement it in the real world scenario.”

So to conclude, this was a good, not a tough exam as compared to other Google Cloud Professional level certification exams. 

Goo(gle)d Luck!!!

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