Google Cloud Computing Foundation Course - Week 6 Lecture Notes Summary

1. SQL Managed Services (Lecture 29)

• Definition of Database:
• A database is a collection of organized information for easy access and management,
often used in software applications for business purposes (e.g., ticket purchases, storing
records).
• Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS):
• SQL databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) are widely used for structured data models,
transactional needs, and complex data retrieval.
• Common SQL databases allow easy joining of data across tables to create complex
queries.
• Cloud SQL (GCP's Managed Service):
• GCP offers managed SQL databases with automated backups, replication, maintenance,
and scalability.
• Cloud SQL handles horizontal scaling for reading, while larger databases for writing
may require rebuilding.
• Cloud Spanner:
• A horizontally scalable and strongly consistent relational database with automatic
replication across multiple nodes and regions.
• It supports ANSI SQL 2011 with extensions and enables the scaling of large, complex
databases.

2. Exploring Cloud SQL (Lecture 30)

• Overview of Cloud SQL:
• A fully-managed relational database for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server.
• Ideal for applications like WordPress, CRM, geospatial, and e-commerce.
• Performance and Scalability:
• Supports scaling up to 64 processor cores and over 400 GB of RAM.
• Offers high availability with continuous health checks and automatic failovers.
• Data encryption and compliance with global standards are built-in.
• Accessibility and Migration:
• Cloud SQL instances can be accessed globally and easily integrated with App Engine,
Compute Engine, and MySQL Workbench.
• Migration tools simplify moving data from on-premise systems to Cloud SQL.

3. Cloud Spanner as a Managed Service (Lecture 31)

• Key Features:
• Combines relational database structures with horizontal scalability, eliminating the trade-
offs between consistency and scale.
• Strong external consistency across regions with minimal downtime (five-nines
 availability).
• Operational Benefits:
• Reduces the complexity of database management and operational overhead.
• Supports synchronous replication, providing consistent results regardless of geographic
location.
• Enterprise-Grade Security:
• Provides encryption by default (both in-transit and at-rest), granular access management,
and audit logging.

4. NoSQL Managed Services (Lecture 32)

• Google’s NoSQL Options:
• Cloud Datastore: A document store supporting ACID transactions for fully managed
NoSQL solutions.
• Cloud Bigtable: A wide-column, petabyte-scale NoSQL database optimized for low-
latency writes and high throughput

Questions with Answers

1. Q: What is a database, and how is it typically used in business applications? A: A database
is an organized collection of information for easy access and management, used in business
applications for tasks like purchasing tickets or storing records.
2. Q: What are the key characteristics of a relational database? A: Relational databases are
structured based on the relational model, support SQL, and are ideal for transactional
applications requiring complex data retrieval across tables.
3. Q: How does Google Cloud SQL handle horizontal and vertical scaling? A: Cloud SQL
scales horizontally using replicas for read operations and vertically by adding resources for
write operations, though large-scale writes might require rebuilding.
4. Q: What is Cloud Spanner, and how is it different from other relational databases? A:
Cloud Spanner is a managed relational database that combines relational structure with
horizontal scalability, offering strong consistency and availability across multiple regions.
5. Q: What are the advantages of using Cloud SQL for database management? A: Cloud SQL
automates administrative tasks like backups, replication, patches, and provides high availability,
encryption, and scalability.
6. Q: In what types of applications is Cloud SQL most beneficial? A: Cloud SQL is suited for
WordPress, CRM, e-commerce, and geospatial applications compatible with MySQL,
PostgreSQL, or SQL Server.
7. Q: What security measures are provided by Cloud Spanner? A: Cloud Spanner provides
encryption at-rest and in-transit, identity management, and audit logging to ensure enterprise-
grade security.
8. Q: Explain how Cloud SQL maintains high availability. A: Cloud SQL continuously checks
instance health and automatically fails over to another instance if needed, ensuring high
availability (99.95%).
9. Q: How does Cloud Spanner achieve strong consistency across regions? A: Cloud Spanner
uses synchronous replication, ensuring data consistency and immediate availability across
 multiple regions.
10.Q: What are the benefits of using Cloud Spanner over traditional MySQL databases? A:
Cloud Spanner scales horizontally, offers strong consistency, and minimizes operational
overhead compared to traditional MySQL.
11.Q: Describe the use case for NoSQL databases in Google Cloud. A: NoSQL databases like
Cloud Datastore and Cloud Bigtable are ideal for applications requiring scalability, ACID
transactions, and low-latency writes.
12.Q: What is Cloud Bigtable, and what type of database model does it use? A: Cloud
Bigtable is a petabyte-scale NoSQL wide-column database designed for high throughput and
low-latency applications.
13.Q: How does Cloud SQL ensure data security and compliance? A: Cloud SQL encrypts data
by default, meets global compliance requirements, and provides features like backup, failover,
and health checks.
14.Q: What is the difference between vertical and horizontal scaling in databases? A: Vertical
scaling involves increasing resources in a single instance, while horizontal scaling adds multiple
instances or servers.
15.Q: How does Google Cloud handle database backups and replication? A: Cloud SQL and
Cloud Spanner automatically handle backups and replication, ensuring data redundancy and
disaster recovery.
16.Q: What is the significance of ANSI SQL compliance in Cloud Spanner? A: ANSI SQL
compliance ensures that Cloud Spanner supports industry-standard SQL queries, enabling
developers to use familiar syntax.
17.Q: Why is Cloud Spanner preferred for mission-critical applications? A: Cloud Spanner
offers five-nines availability, strong consistency, and the ability to scale globally, making it ideal
for mission-critical applications.
18.Q: How does Cloud Datastore differ from Cloud SQL? A: Cloud Datastore is a NoSQL
document store designed for unstructured data and scalability, while Cloud SQL is a relational
database service.
19.Q: What are ACID transactions, and which Google Cloud services support them? A:
ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions are supported by Cloud
Datastore and Cloud Spanner, ensuring reliable transaction processing.
20.Q: Explain the role of replication in Google Cloud’s managed databases. A: Replication
ensures data is copied across regions or nodes, enhancing availability, fault tolerance, and data
redundancy.
21.Q: What is the maximum storage capacity supported by Cloud SQL? A: Cloud SQL
supports up to 10 terabytes of storage capacity.
22.Q: How does Cloud SQL handle encryption? A: Cloud SQL automatically encrypts data both
at-rest and in-transit.
23.Q: What industries commonly use Cloud Spanner, and why? A: Industries like advertising,
finance, and marketing use Cloud Spanner for managing end-user metadata and ensuring global
scalability.
24.Q: What performance optimizations are provided by Cloud Bigtable? A: Cloud Bigtable
 optimizes for extremely low write latency and high throughput, suitable for large-scale
analytical workloads.
25.Q: How does Google Cloud ensure disaster recovery for Cloud SQL? A: Disaster recovery
is ensured through continuous backups, replication, and automatic failovers.
26.Q: Describe a scenario where Cloud Spanner would be the best solution. A: Cloud Spanner
is ideal for globally distributed applications requiring consistent, real-time data access across
multiple regions.
27.Q: What is synchronous replication, and which Google Cloud service uses it? A:
Synchronous replication ensures real-time data consistency across regions, used by Cloud
Spanner.
28.Q: How can Cloud SQL be accessed by external applications? A: Cloud SQL can be
accessed globally from applications via standard connection drivers or built-in migration tools.
29.Q: Why is Cloud Spanner's strong external consistency important for global applications?
A: Strong external consistency ensures that any updates or queries to the database provide real-
time, accurate data, regardless of user location.
30.Q: How does Cloud Bigtable scale to support petabyte-scale datasets? A: Cloud Bigtable
scales horizontally, handling vast amounts of data with low-latency operations.