easyMultiple Choice
Google PCA Practice Question: Migrate an on-premises MySQL database to GCP with…
A company wants to migrate an on-premises MySQL database to GCP with minimal downtime and support for automated failover in case of a zone outage. Which GCP service should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
PCA often tests engine compatibility — candidates see 'MySQL' in the question but must not be distracted by other managed database services that sound similar or offer HA, since only Cloud SQL for MySQL preserves the MySQL engine.
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
✓
Cloud SQL for MySQL
Cloud SQL for MySQL is the managed relational database service on GCP that supports MySQL, offers high availability with automatic failover across zones, and enables minimal-downtime migration via Database Migration Service (DMS) or replication-based approaches. It directly matches the requirement of migrating an existing MySQL workload while preserving engine compatibility. The other options either use a different engine (PostgreSQL), a NoSQL wide-column store (Bigtable), or a document database (Firestore), none of which support MySQL workloads.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL runs PostgreSQL, not MySQL, so the source engine's schema, queries and drivers would not migrate directly. It is tempting because Cloud SQL offers managed automated failover, and it would be correct if the on-premises database were PostgreSQL rather than MySQL.
- ✓
Cloud SQL for MySQL
Why this is correct
Cloud SQL for MySQL is a managed service supporting cross-zone high availability with automatic failover, and its Database Migration Service enables minimal-downtime replication from on-premises MySQL. This directly satisfies the automated failover and low-downtime migration constraints.
- ✗
Cloud Bigtable
Why it's wrong here
Bigtable is a wide-column NoSQL store, so it cannot run MySQL schemas or SQL queries, and its replication is eventually consistent rather than offering automated primary failover. It tempts because it scales to petabytes for analytical and time-series workloads, where a schemaless key-row model is the actual requirement.
- ✗
Firestore
Why it's wrong here
Firestore is a NoSQL document database, so it cannot accept MySQL relational schemas, joins or SQL queries during migration. It is tempting because Firestore is fully managed and multi-region, and it would be correct for new application data needing horizontal scale, not a MySQL lift-and-shift.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Compute Options Overview
Key term
High availability
High availability is a system design approach that aims to keep applications and services operational and accessible with minimal downtime, even when some components fail.
Key term
Column
A column is a vertical set of values in a database table that stores one specific type of attribute for every row.
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This PCA question is part of Courseiva's 807-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Google Cloud exam blueprint
This PCA practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 PCA exam.