- A
Use Cloud SQL with a cross-region replica and configure failover with gcloud
Why wrong: Cross-region replicas are for disaster recovery, not automatic HA within a region.
- B
Enable the high availability option when creating the Cloud SQL instance
Enabling HA when creating the instance automatically provisions a standby in a different zone and enables automatic failover.
- C
Set up a Cloud SQL instance with multiple read replicas and use failover via the Cloud SQL Proxy
Why wrong: Cloud SQL Proxy does not handle failover; HA must be configured at the instance level.
- D
Create a read replica in a different zone and configure automatic failover using a load balancer
Why wrong: Read replicas are asynchronous and not used for automatic failover; Cloud SQL HA uses synchronous replication.
PCD Practice Question: Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of design scalable and highly available cloud database solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
You want to configure Cloud SQL for MySQL with high availability (HA). The application requires that failover be automatic and that the failover replica is in a different zone within the same region. Which configuration should you 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
Enable the high availability option when creating the Cloud SQL instance
Option B is correct because enabling the high availability (HA) option when creating a Cloud SQL for MySQL instance automatically provisions a standby replica in a different zone within the same region. This configuration provides automatic failover without manual intervention, meeting the requirement for HA with zone-level redundancy.
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 SQL with a cross-region replica and configure failover with gcloud
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region replicas are for disaster recovery, not automatic HA within a region.
- ✓
Enable the high availability option when creating the Cloud SQL instance
Why this is correct
Enabling HA when creating the instance automatically provisions a standby in a different zone and enables automatic failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Set up a Cloud SQL instance with multiple read replicas and use failover via the Cloud SQL Proxy
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL Proxy does not handle failover; HA must be configured at the instance level.
- ✗
Create a read replica in a different zone and configure automatic failover using a load balancer
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas are asynchronous and not used for automatic failover; Cloud SQL HA uses synchronous replication.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A common misconception is that read replicas or cross-region replicas can provide automatic failover, but only the dedicated HA option with a synchronous standby replica provides automatic, zone-isolated failover within the same region.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL HA uses a synchronous standby replica in a different zone within the same region, ensuring zero data loss during failover via semi-synchronous replication. The failover is automatic and transparent to the application because the same IP address is preserved, and the process typically completes within 60 seconds. This configuration is ideal for production workloads requiring high availability without complex manual failover scripts.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCD question test?
Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions — This question tests Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable the high availability option when creating the Cloud SQL instance — Option B is correct because enabling the high availability (HA) option when creating a Cloud SQL for MySQL instance automatically provisions a standby replica in a different zone within the same region. This configuration provides automatic failover without manual intervention, meeting the requirement for HA with zone-level redundancy.
What should I do if I get this PCD 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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCD 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 PCD exam.
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