Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
A company is using Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL and needs to run a one-time heavy analytical query that takes over 30 minutes and uses 100% CPU. The production database is serving user traffic with high QPS. What should the company do to run the query without impacting production?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between a read replica (which offloads read traffic) and a clone (which is a point-in-time copy not kept in sync), leading candidates to choose the clone option because they confuse it with a replica's ability to handle production queries without impact.
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
✓
Create a read replica of the production instance and run the query on the replica.
A read replica in Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL is a separate instance that asynchronously replicates data from the primary. Running the heavy analytical query on the replica offloads the CPU-intensive workload from the production primary, ensuring user-facing traffic with high QPS is not impacted. The replica can handle read-only queries without affecting the primary's performance or availability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run the query directly on the primary instance during low traffic hours.
Why it's wrong here
Still risks impact even during low traffic.
- ✓
Create a read replica of the production instance and run the query on the replica.
Why this is correct
Read replicas are designed for offloading read-only workloads.
- ✗
Use Cloud SQL's pgBouncer to pool connections and queue the query.
Why it's wrong here
pgBouncer is for connection pooling, not for isolating heavy queries.
- ✗
Create a clone of the production instance and run the query on the clone.
Why it's wrong here
Creating a clone provides a point-in-time snapshot of the database, meaning the analytical query would operate on potentially stale data. For a query taking over 30 minutes, the data could be significantly out of date by completion, failing to provide current insights. This option is tempting as it isolates the heavy workload from production, preventing resource contention. Clones are ideal for development, testing, or specific historical analyses where data freshness is not a critical requirement.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Cloud SQL
Cloud SQL is a fully managed relational database service that lets you set up, maintain, and scale SQL databases (like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server) in the cloud without managing the underlying infrastructure.
Key term
Data
Data is raw, unprocessed information, like numbers, words, or measurements, that can be stored, processed, and analyzed by computers.
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