Show you can work with data on Google Cloud, from ingesting and analyzing it with BigQuery and Looker to managing access, and track your readiness for the Associate Data Practitioner exam.

Fundamental

Prepare and test your skills

Fundamental

Prepare and test your skills

Google Cloud feature

Coldline

Topic in 3 exam domains

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Also called: Coldline storage class

Coldline is a low-cost, highly durable Google Cloud Storage class designed for storing infrequently or rarely accessed data for at least 90 days, such as disaster recovery data. On Associate Data Practitioner it comes up as an archival and storage management choice evaluated against access frequency, retention needs, and cost trade-offs.

What you can expect on the exam

Access patterns and cost trade-offs. Be ready to evaluate scenarios where data is rarely accessed, balancing Coldline's lower at-rest storage costs against higher operation and access fees compared to Standard storage and Nearline.
Minimum storage duration and availability. Expect to account for Coldline requirements, such as a 90-day minimum storage duration and slightly lower availability when selecting an alternative to warmer classes.
Impact of frequent read operations. Know that frequent read activity on Coldline storage creates excess Class A or Class B operation costs, signaling that the data is better suited for Standard storage or Nearline.

Where this appears on the exam

2 subdomains in 1 of 4 domains

Section 4
Data Management
1. 4.2Configure lifecycle management
  - Determine the appropriate Cloud Storage classes based on the frequency of data access and retention requirements
  - Evaluate Google Cloud services for archiving data given business requirements

How learners score on this topic

Last updated November 2, 2026

Associate Data Practitioner

Show you can work with data on Google Cloud, from ingesting and analyzing it with BigQuery and Looker to managing access, and track your readiness for the Associate Data Practitioner exam.

Fundamental

Prepare and test your skills

Fundamental

Prepare and test your skills

Google Cloud feature

Coldline

Topic in 3 exam domains

X LinkedIn Facebook Reddit

Also called: Coldline storage class

What you can expect on the exam

Access patterns and cost trade-offs. Be ready to evaluate scenarios where data is rarely accessed, balancing Coldline's lower at-rest storage costs against higher operation and access fees compared to Standard storage and Nearline.
Minimum storage duration and availability. Expect to account for Coldline requirements, such as a 90-day minimum storage duration and slightly lower availability when selecting an alternative to warmer classes.
Impact of frequent read operations. Know that frequent read activity on Coldline storage creates excess Class A or Class B operation costs, signaling that the data is better suited for Standard storage or Nearline.

Where this appears on the exam

2 subdomains in 1 of 4 domains

Section 4
Data Management
1. 4.2Configure lifecycle management
  - Determine the appropriate Cloud Storage classes based on the frequency of data access and retention requirements
  - Evaluate Google Cloud services for archiving data given business requirements

How learners score on this topic

Last updated November 2, 2026

What you can expect on the exam

Where this appears on the exam

Related topics

How learners score on this topic

What you can expect on the exam

Where this appears on the exam

Related topics

How learners score on this topic