GCP-CDL: Google Cloud Digital Leader

A Cloud Digital Leader can articulate the capabilities of Google Cloud core products and services and how they benefit organizations. The Cloud Digital Leader can also describe common business use cases and how cloud solutions support an enterprise.

This certification is for anyone who wishes to demonstrate their knowledge of cloud computing basics and how Google Cloud products and services can be used to achieve an organization’s goals.

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The Cloud Digital Leader exam assesses your knowledge in these areas:

  • Digital transformation with Google Cloud (~10% of the exam)
  • Innovating with data and Google Cloud (~30% of the exam)
  • Infrastructure and application modernization (~30% of the exam)
  • Google Cloud security and operations (~30% of the exam)

Google GCP-CDL Exam Summary:

Exam Name Google Cloud Digital Leader (GCP-CDL)
Exam Code GCP-CDL
Exam Price $99 USD
Duration 90 minutes 
Number of Questions   60 
Passing Score Pass / Fail (Approx 70%)
Recommended Training / Books Google Cloud training
Google Cloud documentation
Google Cloud solutions 
Sample Questions Google GCP-CDL Sample Questions
Recommended Practice  Google Cloud Platform – Cloud Digital Leader (GCP-CDL) Practice Test

Google GCP-CDL Syllabus:

Objectives Topic 
Introduction to digital transformation with Google Cloud (approximately 10% of the exam) 
Explain why cloud technology is revolutionizing business – Define key terms such as cloud, cloud technology, data, and digital transformation
Explain why it is critical for businesses to adopt new technology   – Compare and contrast cloud technology and traditional or on-premises technology
– Describe how customer expectations have changed because of cloud technology
– Identify the business and technical considerations that organizations need to think about when adopting cloud technology, including: infrastructure; application and business platform modernization; the importance of data; security in the cloud 
Innovating with data and Google Cloud (approximately 30% of the exam) 
Describe the role of data in digital transformation and the importance of a data-driven culture – Explain how cloud technology enables data to be applied in new ways
Identify common Google Cloud solutions for data management   – Recognize examples of structured and unstructured data 
Identify common Google Cloud solutions for smart analytics   – Articulate the business benefits of storing data in the cloud
– Apply appropriate business use cases for databases, data warehouses, and data lakes
– Explain the benefits of Google Cloud data products, including: Looker, BigQuery, Cloud Spanner, Cloud SQL, Cloud Storage 
Identify Google Cloud’s solutions for machine learning and AI   – Define artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
– Outline the importance of data quality in ML prediction accuracy
– Describe Google Cloud’s differentiators with regard to AI and machine learning
– Recognize the ways customers can use Google Cloud’s AI and ML solutions to create business value 
Infrastructure and application modernization (approximately 30% of the exam)  
Learn what modernizing IT infrastructure with Google Cloud means – Explain why legacy infrastructure struggles to deliver modern services to customers
– Explain the benefits of modernizing infrastructure with cloud technology
– Differentiate between hybrid and multicloud infrastructures
– Differentiate between virtual machines, containers, and serverless computing within business use cases
– Identify the Google Cloud solutions that help businesses modernize their infrastructure
Understand modernizing applications with Google Cloud   – Describe the business drivers for modernizing applications
– Describe the benefits of using cloud-native applications
– Apply the appropriate change pattern to different business use cases
– Explain the benefits of Google Kubernetes Engine, Anthos, and App Engine for application development 
Understand the value of APIs   – Explain how application programming interfaces (APIs) can modernize legacy systems
– Describe how APIs can create new business value
– Explain the benefits of Apigee 
Understanding Google Cloud security and operations (approximately 30% of the exam)  
Describe financial governance in the cloud and Google Cloud’s recommended best practices for effective cloud cost management – Explain how adopting cloud technology affects the total cost of ownership (TCO)
– Identify the cost management strategy needed in a given business scenario
Describe a cloud security approach and Google Cloud security benefits   – Define fundamental cloud security terms, including privacy, availability, security, and control
– Explain what is meant by a shared responsibility model
– Describe the security benefits of using Google Cloud
– Identify today’s top cybersecurity challenges and threats to data privacy
– Demonstrate how organizations can control and manage access to cloud resources 
Explain how IT operations need to adapt to thrive in the cloud   – Differentiate service availability requirements in the cloud versus in on-premises environments
– Describe the operational challenges that DevOps solves
– Apply the goals of site reliability engineering (SRE) to different business use cases 
Identify Google Cloud solutions for cloud resource monitoring and application performance management   – Explain the potential impact of unexpected or prolonged downtime
– Define monitoring, logging, and observability within the context of cloud operations
– Identify the Google Cloud resource monitoring and maintenance tools.