Question 949 of 1,446
Deploy scalable and highly available databases in Google Cloud →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
PCDE Practice Question: Deploy scalable and highly available databases in Google Cloud
A company runs a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance with a cross-region read replica in a different region for disaster recovery. The primary region experiences a complete outage. What is the expected RPO and RTO for promoting the read replica to become the new primary?
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
✓
RPO: equals the replication lag (seconds to minutes); RTO: minutes (manual promotion)
Promoting a cross-region read replica involves manual intervention. The RPO equals the replication lag (which can be seconds to minutes depending on network and workload), not zero. The RTO is measured in minutes because you must verify the replica, promote it, and reconfigure applications. Cloud SQL HA failover (same region) achieves RPO near zero and RTO under 60 seconds, but cross-region replication is asynchronous.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
RPO: up to 1 hour; RTO: up to 24 hours
Why it's wrong here
This is more typical of backup restore, not a read replica promotion.
- ✗
RPO: near zero (loss of last few transactions); RTO: under 60 seconds
Why it's wrong here
That describes same-region HA failover, not cross-region read replica promotion.
- ✗
RPO: zero; RTO: less than 1 minute
Why it's wrong here
Only synchronous replication can achieve zero RPO; cross-region read replicas are asynchronous.
- ✓
RPO: equals the replication lag (seconds to minutes); RTO: minutes (manual promotion)
Why this is correct
Cross-region read replicas replicate asynchronously, so RPO is the replication lag. Manual promotion takes minutes to complete and reconfigure.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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