Question

Difficulty: MediumDesigning Migration Plans and Data Transfer Strategies

An online gaming platform is migrating its operational PostgreSQL database and 80 TB80\text{ TB} of unstructured telemetry logs from an on-premises data center to Google Cloud. To ensure zero data loss and minimal downtime during final cutover, place the migration and data transfer steps in the correct chronological sequence.

  1. 1Provision a Dedicated Cloud Interconnect connection between the on-premises data center and the target Google Cloud VPC network.
  2. 2Execute a baseline transfer of unstructured logs using Storage Transfer Service while configuring continuous change data capture (CDC) for PostgreSQL via Database Migration Service.
  3. 3Perform data integrity validation and verify that database replication lag between source and target Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL is near zero.
  4. 4Promote the target Cloud SQL instance to standalone read/write mode, update application connection endpoints to point to GCP, and terminate the source migration stream.

Answer

The correct order of migration steps is: 1) Provision Dedicated Cloud Interconnect connectivity, 2) Execute baseline Storage Transfer Service jobs while configuring Database Migration Service CDC, 3) Perform data integrity validation and verify near-zero replication lag, and 4) Promote the Cloud SQL instance, update application connection endpoints to Google Cloud, and terminate the replication stream.
The correct migration sequence follows standard GCP Cloud Migration Framework phases: Hybrid network connectivity (Dedicated Cloud Interconnect) must be established first. Next, initial bulk historical data transfer (Storage Transfer Service) and continuous database replication (Database Migration Service CDC) run concurrently. Once data replication lag drops to near zero, validation is performed to confirm data parity. Finally, database promotion and application endpoint cutover complete the migration.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Establish hybrid network connectivity
High-bandwidth Dedicated Cloud Interconnect provisioned between data center and VPC.
Hybrid networking must be operational prior to initiating large-scale data migration to guarantee low latency and bandwidth.
2
Initiate bulk storage backfill and continuous database CDC
$80 TB of historical logs synced to Cloud Storage and live PostgreSQL transactions replicated to Cloud SQL.
Bulk transfer uploads historical data while CDC captures ongoing write activity to prepare for zero-downtime cutover.
3
Validate data integrity and check replication lag
Target Cloud SQL instance verified for data completeness with negligible replication delay.
Ensures no transactional data is lost or corrupted before cutover decisions are executed.
4
Promote target instance and perform final traffic cutover
Application traffic redirected to Cloud SQL and migration job finalized.
Promoting the replica and shifting endpoints finalizes the migration with minimal downtime.

Key Concept

Cloud Data Migration Lifecycle & Zero-Downtime Cutover Strategy
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