easyMultiple Choice
CV0-004 Practice Question: An administrator is configuring a backup policy…
An administrator is configuring a backup policy for a critical application database. The policy must allow point-in-time recovery up to the last 5 minutes. The database is updated continuously throughout the day. Which of the following backup strategies BEST meets the requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse crash-consistent snapshots (Option B) with application-consistent backups, failing to realize that VM snapshots do not capture transaction log details needed for precise point-in-time recovery of a database.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Daily full backups plus transaction log backups every 5 minutes.
It combines daily full backups with transaction log backups every 5 minutes, which is the only strategy that supports point-in-time recovery (PITR) to within 5 minutes for a continuously updated database. Transaction log backups capture every committed transaction, allowing restoration to any specific point in time by replaying logs from the last full backup.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Weekly full backups with daily differential backups.
Why it's wrong here
Weekly fulls with daily differentials restore to the last differential, so recovery granularity is one day, not five minutes. It tempts because differentials reduce backup volume versus fulls, yet the stem's continuously updated database needs transaction-log shipping or continuous backup to achieve the required recovery point.
- ✗
Hourly snapshots of the virtual machine.
Why it's wrong here
Hourly VM snapshots capture disk state only once per hour, so recovery can reach no closer than the previous snapshot, missing the five-minute target. It tempts because snapshots are simple and fast to restore, yet continuous database updates demand transaction-log shipping or continuous backup to satisfy point-in-time recovery.
- ✓
Daily full backups plus transaction log backups every 5 minutes.
Why this is correct
Transaction log backups capture every committed change, so replaying them after a full restore achieves recovery to within five minutes. Continuous database updates demand this log-based approach; full backups alone leave up to a day of data loss, failing the point-in-time requirement.
- ✗
Daily full backups of the database.
Why it's wrong here
Daily full backups restore only to the previous day's copy, leaving up to 24 hours of committed transactions unrecoverable, far outside the five-minute window. It tempts because full backups are self-contained and easy to restore, but continuous updates require transaction-log or continuous backup to reach any chosen point.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 834 original CV0-004 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CV0-004 exam.