- A
Use Cloud Spanner with multi-region configuration
Cloud Spanner provides synchronous replication across regions, achieving RPO of 0 and RTO minutes.
- B
Use Cloud SQL with point-in-time recovery and automated backups
Why wrong: Point-in-time recovery and backups do not meet sub-1 minute RPO for regional disaster.
- C
Use Cloud SQL with cross-region replica and failover
Why wrong: Cross-region replicas are asynchronous, so RPO >1 minute.
- D
Enable high availability (regional) with a standby zone
Why wrong: Regional HA protects against zonal failure, not regional disaster.
Question 478 of 1,000
Google PCA Practice Question: Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of designing and planning a cloud solution architecture. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company uses Cloud SQL for MySQL and wants to achieve a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of less than 5 minutes and a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of less than 1 minute for a regional disaster. Which configuration should they use?
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
✓
Use Cloud Spanner with multi-region configuration
Cloud Spanner with a multi-region configuration is the only option that can meet an RTO of less than 5 minutes and an RPO of less than 1 minute for a regional disaster. Cloud Spanner provides synchronous replication across multiple regions, ensuring that data is consistent with no data loss (RPO near zero) and automatic failover within seconds, achieving the required RTO. Cloud SQL, even with cross-region replicas or high availability, relies on asynchronous replication (for cross-region) or semi-synchronous replication (for regional HA), which cannot guarantee sub-minute RPO or sub-5-minute RTO during a full regional outage.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use Cloud Spanner with multi-region configuration
Why this is correct
Cloud Spanner provides synchronous replication across regions, achieving RPO of 0 and RTO minutes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Cloud SQL with point-in-time recovery and automated backups
Why it's wrong here
Point-in-time recovery and backups do not meet sub-1 minute RPO for regional disaster.
- ✗
Use Cloud SQL with cross-region replica and failover
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region replicas are asynchronous, so RPO >1 minute.
- ✗
Enable high availability (regional) with a standby zone
Why it's wrong here
Regional HA protects against zonal failure, not regional disaster.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Cloud SQL's regional HA (which only covers zonal failures) with cross-region disaster recovery, and underestimate the replication lag and manual failover time of Cloud SQL cross-region replicas, assuming they can meet aggressive RTO/RPO targets like those required for a regional disaster.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Spanner uses the TrueTime API and Paxos-based consensus to synchronously replicate writes across multiple regions, achieving external consistency and an RPO of effectively zero. In a multi-region configuration, failover is automatic and transparent to the application, typically completing within seconds, which satisfies the sub-5-minute RTO. A common real-world scenario is a financial application requiring strong consistency and continuous availability across continents, where even a few seconds of data loss or downtime is unacceptable.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — This question tests Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Cloud Spanner with multi-region configuration — Cloud Spanner with a multi-region configuration is the only option that can meet an RTO of less than 5 minutes and an RPO of less than 1 minute for a regional disaster. Cloud Spanner provides synchronous replication across multiple regions, ensuring that data is consistent with no data loss (RPO near zero) and automatic failover within seconds, achieving the required RTO. Cloud SQL, even with cross-region replicas or high availability, relies on asynchronous replication (for cross-region) or semi-synchronous replication (for regional HA), which cannot guarantee sub-minute RPO or sub-5-minute RTO during a full regional outage.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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