PCDE Practice Question: Deploy scalable and highly available databases in Google Cloud
A company runs a critical e-commerce platform on Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL with cross-region read replicas for DR. During a recent disaster drill, they promoted the read replica to a standalone instance. After the drill, they attempted to re-create the replica but found that point-in-time recovery (PITR) was not enabled on the promoted instance. What is the most likely cause?
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
✓
Automated backups and PITR are not enabled by default on the promoted instance
When a Cloud SQL read replica is promoted, it becomes a standalone primary instance. By default, automated backups and PITR are not enabled on the promoted instance. The original instance's configuration (including PITR) is not carried over. The user must manually enable these settings after promotion.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The backup retention policy on the original instance limited the PITR window
Why it's wrong here
The backup retention policy affects how far back PITR can go, but the issue is that PITR was not enabled at all.
- ✗
The cross-region replica connectivity was lost during promotion
Why it's wrong here
Connectivity loss does not affect PITR settings; the promotion process breaks replication but doesn't affect backup configuration.
- ✓
Automated backups and PITR are not enabled by default on the promoted instance
Why this is correct
After promotion, the new primary does not have automated backups or PITR enabled; they must be configured explicitly.
- ✗
The promoted instance does not support PITR because it was originally a read replica
Why it's wrong here
Promoted instances support PITR, but it must be enabled manually after promotion.
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Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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