Google PCA Manage and provision cloud infrastructure Practice Question
An organization is migrating a MySQL database to Cloud SQL. They require automatic failover with zero data loss in the event of a zone outage. Which configuration should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse a read replica (which uses asynchronous replication and requires manual promotion) with an HA standby (which uses synchronous replication and automatic failover), leading them to incorrectly select Option C.
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 with high availability (HA) configuration.
Cloud SQL's high availability (HA) configuration uses a synchronous write to a standby instance in a different zone within the same region. This ensures that every transaction committed on the primary is also committed on the standby before acknowledging the client, guaranteeing zero data loss during a zone outage. Automatic failover to the standby occurs with no manual intervention, meeting both the automatic failover and zero data loss requirements.
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 with a cross-region replica.
Why it's wrong here
A cross-region replica replicates asynchronously, so recent commits can be lost, and promotion is manual rather than automatic. The requirement is a synchronous standby in a second zone with automatic failover. Cross-region replicas suit regional disaster recovery, not zero-data-loss zone failover.
- ✗
Cloud SQL with automated backups and binary logging.
Why it's wrong here
Automated backups and binary logging enable point-in-time recovery, not automatic failover; recovery requires manual restore, so a zone outage causes downtime and loses transactions since the last backup. Binary logging is tempting because it supports replication and PITR, and would suit a read replica or manual recovery scenario, but not zero-data-loss failover.
- ✗
Cloud SQL with a read replica in a different zone.
Why it's wrong here
A read replica is asynchronous, so a zone outage can lose recently committed transactions, and failover to it is not automatic. Cloud SQL high availability uses a synchronous standby in another zone with automatic failover and zero data loss. Read replicas suit read scaling, not the stated recovery requirement.
- ✓
Cloud SQL with high availability (HA) configuration.
Why this is correct
High availability configuration provisions a standby instance in a second zone with synchronous replication to the primary. Automatic failover promotes the standby during a zone outage, and synchronous replication ensures zero data loss, meeting both stated requirements.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Data Migration and Transfer Services
Key term
Organization
An Organization is a top-level container in Google Cloud that represents your company or entities and serves as the root node for all your cloud resources, policies, and access control.
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.