GSP355

Overview

In a challenge lab you’re given a scenario and a set of tasks. Instead of following step-by-step instructions, you will use the skills learned from the labs in the course to figure out how to complete the tasks on your own! An automated scoring system (shown on this page) will provide feedback on whether you have completed your tasks correctly.

When you take a challenge lab, you will not be taught new Google Cloud concepts. You are expected to extend your learned skills, like changing default values and reading and researching error messages to fix your own mistakes.

To score 100% you must successfully complete all tasks within the time period!

This lab is recommended for students who have enrolled in the Create and Manage Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL Instances skill badge. Are you ready for the challenge?

Setup and requirements

Before you click the Start Lab button

Read these instructions. Labs are timed and you cannot pause them. The timer, which starts when you click Start Lab, shows how long Google Cloud resources are made available to you.

This hands-on lab lets you do the lab activities in a real cloud environment, not in a simulation or demo environment. It does so by giving you new, temporary credentials you use to sign in and access Google Cloud for the duration of the lab.

To complete this lab, you need:

• Access to a standard internet browser (Chrome browser recommended).

• Time to complete the lab—remember, once you start, you cannot pause a lab.

How to start your lab and sign in to the Google Cloud console

1. Click the Start Lab button. If you need to pay for the lab, a dialog opens for you to select your payment method. On the left is the Lab Details pane with the following:

   • The Open Google Cloud console button
   • Time remaining
   • The temporary credentials that you must use for this lab
   • Other information, if needed, to step through this lab

2. Click Open Google Cloud console (or right-click and select Open Link in Incognito Window if you are running the Chrome browser).

   The lab spins up resources, and then opens another tab that shows the Sign in page.

   Tip: Arrange the tabs in separate windows, side-by-side.

   Note: If you see the Choose an account dialog, click Use Another Account.

3. If necessary, copy the Username below and paste it into the Sign in dialog.

   {{{user_0.username | "Username"}}}

   You can also find the Username in the Lab Details pane.

4. Click Next.

5. Copy the Password below and paste it into the Welcome dialog.

   {{{user_0.password | "Password"}}}

   You can also find the Password in the Lab Details pane.

6. Click Next.

   Important: You must use the credentials the lab provides you. Do not use your Google Cloud account credentials. Note: Using your own Google Cloud account for this lab may incur extra charges.

7. Click through the subsequent pages:

   • Accept the terms and conditions.
   • Do not add recovery options or two-factor authentication (because this is a temporary account).
   • Do not sign up for free trials.

After a few moments, the Google Cloud console opens in this tab.

Note: To access Google Cloud products and services, click the Navigation menu or type the service or product name in the Search field.

Challenge scenario

Cymbal Shops is a retail chain, founded in 1974, which sells homewares, electronics, and clothing in 714 stores across North America. Cymbal Shops wants to migrate its legacy, on-premises inventory management system to modernize its database infrastructure while ensuring data integrity, minimal downtime, strong security, and robust disaster recovery capabilities.

The Database Administration Team (DB) has decided to move the critical, self-managed PostgreSQL database to the cloud to leverage better scalability and reliability. The migration must be seamless to avoid interrupting daily operations. Once in the cloud, the DBA wants to enhance security using Google Cloud's centralized identity management and implement a reliable recovery solution for compliance and data protection.

Your challenge

As part of the DBA team, you are tasked with using Database Migration Services to move the essential PostgreSQL database to Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL. Following the migration, you must promote the Cloud SQL database to a stand-alone instance capable of handling both reading and writing, then secure the database by implementing IAM DB Authentication, and finally, perform a point-in-time recovery on the database.

Task 1. Migrate a stand-alone PostgreSQL database to a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance

In this task you must migrate the stand-alone PostgreSQL orders database running on the postgres-vm virtual machine to a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance using a Database Migration Services continuous migration job and VPC Peering connectivity.

Prepare the stand-alone PostgreSQL database for migration

Prepare the stand-alone PostgreSQL database so that it satisfies the Database Migration Services migration requirements.

1. In the Google Cloud console title bar, search for Database Migration API and the Service Networking API confirm both are enabled; if not, click Enable for each API.

2. Upgrade the target databases on the postgres-vm virtual machine with the pglogical database extension.

3. Install and configure the pglogical database extension on the stand-alone PostgreSQL database on the postgres-vm Compute Instance VM. The pglogical database extension package that you must install is named postgresql-14-pglogical.

4. Complete the configuration of the pglogical database extension by editing the PostgreSQL configuration file /etc/postgresql/14/main/postgresql.conf to enable the pglogical database extension and the /etc/postgresql/14/main/pg_hba.conf file to allow access from all hosts.

5. Create a new user on the stand-alone PostgreSQL installation on the postgres-vm virtual machine with the following user name and password:

• Migration user name :
• Migration user password : DMS_1s_cool!

6. Grant that user the required privileges and permissions for databases to be migrated.

Database Migration Services require that the migration user has privileges to specific schemata and relations of the target databases for migration, in this case that is the orders database.

The Database Migration Service requires all tables to be migrated to have a primary key.

7. Make sure that all of the tables in the orders database have a primary key set before you start the migration.

• distribution_centers
• inventory_items
• order_items
• products
• users

Migrate the stand-alone PostgreSQL database to a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance

To perform the migration using Database Migration Services, complete the following steps:

1. Create a new Database Migration Service connection profile for the stand-alone PostgreSQL database, using the credentials of the migration user you created earlier.

• Username :
• Password : DMS_1s_cool!
• Region must be set to

2. Configure the connection profile using the internal ip-address of the source compute instance.

3. Create a new continuous Database Migration Service job.

As part of the migration job configuration, make sure that you specify the following properties for the destination Cloud SQL instance:

4. Select Existing instance for the destination type, and choose as the Destination Instance ID.

5. For the Connectivity Method, you must use VPC peering with the default VPC network.

6. Test and then start the continuous migration job.

If you do not correctly prepare the source PostgreSQL environment, the migration might fail completely, or it might fail to migrate some individual tables. If some tables are missing, even though the migration appears to be working otherwise, check that you have correctly configured all of the source database tables.

Task 2. Promote a Cloud SQL to be a stand-alone instance for reading and writing data

• In this task, you must complete the migration by promoting the Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance to a stand-alone instance.

When the promotion is complete, the status of the job updates to Completed. Promote a Cloud SQL Migration Replica to a stand-alone instance.

Task 3. Implement Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL IAM database authentication

In this task you must configure the newly migrated Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance to support Cloud IAM users and IAM database authentication. You must also patch the Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance to add the public IP address of the postgres-vm virtual machine to the list of networks that are allowed to connect to the instance.

1. Patch the Cloud SQL instance to allow connections from the public ip-address of the postgres-vm virtual machine.

   • In the Cloud SQL instance, go to connections > Networking.
   • Under the Public IP, click ADD A NETWORK. For the network, use the external IP of the postgres-vm virtual machine.

2. In the Cloud SQL instance, create a Cloud SQL IAM user using the lab student ID, , as the principal account name.

   • Click Users > Add user account, then select Cloud IAM.

3. Grant SELECT permission to the Cloud IAM user for the table.

   • In the Cloud SQL instance, go to Overview. Under Connect to this instance, click Open Cloud Shell.
   • For the password enter supersecret!. Then connect to the orders database using \c orders; command.
   • Again for the password enter supersecret!.
   • Use the following command to grant SELECT permission. Replace the Table_Name and Qwiklabs_User_Account_Name variables with the correct values. GRANT SELECT ON Table_Name TO "Qwiklabs_User_Account_Name";

4. Run the following query as the user in the migrated database to confirm that can select data from the table.

Task 4. Configure and test point-in-time recovery

In this task you must configure point-in-time recovery on a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance and then test it by using point-in-time recovery to create a cloned instance at a point in time that rolls back some changes.

To complete this task you must complete the following steps:

1. Enable backups on the Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance.
   • In the Cloud SQL instance, go to Overview. Click edit > Data Protection.
   • Enable point-in-time recovery and set the number of retained transaction log days to .
2. Make a note of the timestamp for the point-in-time you wish to restore to using the following command. date -u --rfc-3339=ns | sed -r 's/ /T/; s/\.([0-9]{3}).*/\.\1Z/'
3. Make some changes to the database after this timestamp.
   • In the Cloud SQL instance, go to Overview. Under Connect to this instance, click Open Cloud Shell.
   • For the password enter supersecret!, then connect to the orders database using \c orders; command.
   • Again, for the password, enter supersecret!.
   • You must add a row of data to the orders.distribution_centers table.
4. Use point-in-time recovery to create a clone that replicates the instance state at your chosen timestamp.
   • Use the following command to clone the instance by replacing the CLOUDSQL_INSTANCE, NEW_INSTANCE_NAME and TIME_STAMP variables with the correct values. gcloud sql instances clone $CLOUDSQL_INSTANCE $NEW_INSTANCE_NAME \ --point-in-time $TIME_STAMP
   • For the Cloned instance name you must use the name postgres-orders-pitr.

The new instance will not be used, but do not discard it, as it will be required to confirm that you have correctly completed the lab.

Congratulations!

You have migrated a standalone PostgreSQL database to Cloud SQL, enabled Cloud SQL IAM database authentication, and tested point-in-time database recovery.

Earn your next skill badge

This self-paced lab is part of the Create and Manage Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL Instances skill badge. Completing this skill badge earns you the badge above, to recognize your achievement. Share your badge on your resume and social platforms, and announce your accomplishment using #GoogleCloudBadge.

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Manual Last Updated December 11, 2025

Lab Last Tested December 11, 2025

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