Deploy scalable and highly available databases in Google Cloud →mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
PCDE Practice Question: Deploy scalable and highly available databases in Google Cloud
A company is designing a disaster recovery strategy for a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance. They require an RPO of less than 5 minutes and an RTO of less than 2 minutes in the event of a regional outage. Which three components should they include in their solution? (Choose three.)
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
✓
Cross-region read replica
To achieve RPO <5 minutes and RTO <2 minutes across regions, you need a solution that can recover quickly with minimal data loss. Cloud SQL cross-region read replicas replicate asynchronously, so RPO is the replication lag (which can be <5 minutes if the network is fast). Promoting a read replica manually takes minutes, but you can automate the promotion using Cloud Functions or scripts to reduce RTO. Alternatively, you could use a standby instance in another region with synchronous replication (but Cloud SQL does not support that). The best approach is to use a cross-region read replica with automated promotion (e.g., via Cloud Functions triggered by a health check). Additionally, you need to update application connection strings to point to the new primary. Using a load balancer with health checks can also help route traffic. The three correct components are: cross-region read replica, automated promotion script, and a global load balancer to redirect traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Cross-region read replica
Why this is correct
A read replica in another region provides asynchronous replication, achieving RPO of seconds to minutes.
- ✓
Global external HTTP(S) load balancer with backend health checks
Why this is correct
A load balancer can detect the primary failure and route traffic to the promoted replica, aiding in fast recovery.
- ✓
Automated promotion script (e.g., using Cloud Functions)
Why this is correct
Automated promotion reduces RTO from minutes to seconds by triggering the promotion immediately upon failure detection.
- ✗
Point-in-time recovery enabled with 7-day retention
Why it's wrong here
PITR helps with data restoration, but does not provide fast regional failover.
- ✗
Automated backup with 5-minute frequency
Why it's wrong here
Backups are not suitable for RTO of minutes; restoration takes hours.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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This PCDE 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 PCDE exam.