Validates knowledge of designing, building and operating data processing systems on Google Cloud, from ingestion to analysis.
A good Professional Data Engineer course teaches which Google Cloud service fits each data scenario, from BigQuery and Dataflow to governance, with labs where you build pipelines. We compared the options on coverage, hands-on practice, practice exams and price.
Start with Google's free Professional Data Engineer path on Google Skills, which includes real labs. Add Ankit Mistry's Udemy course to see each service in the console, GCP Study Hub for video and five practice exams in one subscription, or the Coursera series if you already use Coursera.
| Course | Best for | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Professional Data Engineer Certification path | Free official path | Interactive | Free |
 GCP - Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Certification | Console demos | Video | $95 |
 GCP Professional Data Engineer Certification Course | Course plus practice exams | Video | $39/month |
 Preparing for Google Cloud Certification - Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certificate | For Coursera users | Video | $49/month |
Google's learning path of 13 courses with labs and skill badges. It covers data lakes and warehouses, batch and streaming pipelines, Dataflow, data mesh governance and Gemini in BigQuery, and includes a study-guide course.
Great fit if you want the issuer's route with real labs
Poor fit if you want every exam service covered; add Ankit Mistry's course
A 32.5-hour video course with 269 lectures and over 80 console demos across storage, databases, pipelines and ML services, updated in July 2026. You watch each service work, which helps you remember what it is for.
Great fit if you want to see each service working in the console
Poor fit if you want a short review; use Google's path and its exam-guide course
160 video lessons, hands-on labs and five full-length practice exams with explanations. The subscription includes the site's other Google Cloud certification courses.
Great fit if you want a course and practice exams in one subscription
Poor fit if you prefer a one-time purchase; choose Ankit Mistry's Udemy course
Google's five-course series of about 33 hours on lakes and warehouses, batch and streaming pipelines and analytics, with labs and a two-hour exam study-guide course. Coursera suggests four weeks at 10 hours a week.
Great fit if you already use Coursera and want Google's own courses in one series
Poor fit if you want the free Google Skills route to similar content
For most people, Google's free Professional Data Engineer path on Google Skills, because it comes from the exam's maker and includes real labs. Add Ankit Mistry's Udemy course to see each service in the console.
Yes. Google's free path and sample questions cover the core services. Add a paid video course or practice tests for the topics the path does not reach.
Ankit Mistry's course runs 32.5 hours and the Coursera series about 33 hours. Plan for about 70 hours of preparation in total, including labs and practice exams.
No. There are no prerequisites, though Associate Cloud Engineer is a useful foundation if you are new to Google Cloud.